Let's Go Caroling! Blog Hop

Welcome to the 2nd annual Caroling Party Blog Hop! I have several blogs joining me this year with a cookie recipe exchange and some of us have giveaways too! It's not too late to join us ~

I want this to be really easy. Only a couple of rules ~

Blog Hop is Linky is #1

(no giveaways here)

Share the linky on your blog if you'd like:
<a href=http://www.inlinkz.com/script.php?id=103592&nojump=1&key=ILjgLQeRh611g>get the InLinkz code</a>

Giveaway Linky is #2

Win Your Gifts Holiday Hop - DaySpring.com

Win Your Gifts Holiday Hop

Nov 3-7, 2011

I'm a little late in posting as my computer has been down since yesterday. I have it up for a short time until I leave for work tomorrow. I have to go and get a part to fix it. So, I'll be on and off the computer until about midnight Saturday. Thanks for your patience!

Sponsor - Dayspring Gifts - Ends 11/11!

I received a neat "Tree" a few weeks back from Dayspring and and loved it so much I contacted the company to see if I could feature it this week on Holiday Traditions & Gift Ideas! They said "Sure You Can" - and here we are!

The Joy Noel Peace Believe Tree stands about 23 1/2" tall and 18 1/2" wide and is the perfect accompaniment to a holiday buffet, fireplace mantle or sofa table. It is fairly heavy and the star at the top screws on (be sure to look for it in the box if you order this or give it as a gift). I think I will end up switching out the bow at the top but to be honest I love it in every other way. I thought it was smaller than it is - but love the simple message it provides. I will end up featuring this with my Willow Tree Nativity (wouldn't it be neat made up of willow tree branches or vines) in front of it.

Dayspring has very generously offered a GC to one of my readers - I'll find out the exact amount tomorrow hopefully and will post it then. So, be sure to check back on Saturday when the amount should be posted. (Or should I just surprise one of you with the total amount???) I wish I could offer it to every one of you - I love their items. They have a great selection of gifts, cards, wall decor, Christmas ornaments and more.

Enough talking - lets do some Rafflecopter Entries! Because I am promoting Mittens 4 Missions I am including some entries (the big ones!) into the giveaway entries - thanks!

Count Your Blessings Blog Hop & Giveaway Linky! WK 4

Thanks for joining me in the Count Your Blessings Blog Hop for Week 4 of fun, crafts, recipes, fall happenings - and of course, the giveaway linky! Would you please do me a favor? Please tweet this event:


Tweet

I have a couple of giveaways I'll link up below and I also wanted to bring this FUN opportunity for a contest that TinyPrints.com is having. It looks like a lot of fun!

TinyPrints.com 3rd Annual Talent Search Contest
You can enter for a chance to win the grand prize of $1,000 cash, plus a $500 Tiny Prints gift certificate! They are looking for the cutest photos in the following categories:
1) Cutest Baby (0-24 mo)
2) Cutest Kid (25 mo - 10 yrs)
3) Cutest Family
4) Cutest Couple
5) Cutest Pet & Owner

Enter 10/24/11 - 11/15/11
Winners announced 12/21/12
Enter Here


Tweet

Count Your Blessings Blog Hop! 

Link up your recipes, crafts, fall activities, family fun stuff! etc - facebook & blogs welcome! It is required that if you link up you need to follow the 2 people above you that way everyone gets a visit at least 2 times. Please leave them a comment so you can follow back, comment back, tweet back - whatever their request is. Thanks!


** This is an activity hop - please say what you need - stumble, tweet, comments **

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Giveaway Linky: Please link up using this format:
Prize, Date ending, US/CA or WW (worldwide)
Link to Giveaway

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Crafty Christmas Cards Idea

Christmas Cards & Christmas Greetings

TinyPrints.com has the cutest Christmas & Holiday cards I've seen in a long time. You have the choice to have them made with photos, without, as a postcard (or a flat card) or as a ornament. I really like the ornament style. It's a great way to display your family photos each year and a great way to see your kids grow.

There are a number of ways you can display these cute "ornament photo cards". Check this one out.:

To make a display or organize your yearly ornament photo cards:
Supplies needed: 1 frame in the size desired, scrapbook paper, adhesive "dots" or tape. If you prefer to use little pins I would use a foam board that's sturdy and that will fit in your frame.

1) Take a frame and remove the glass and the back. 
2) Attach a piece of scrapbook paper or 9 smaller squares if you want the back of each ornament to be different. One whole sheet will make it look more "organized" and I would think less "busy". If you make it with 9 different papers (patterned or plain) then I would make a graph with 9 equal sized squares to evenly place the squares. (Just use a pencil and very lightly draw on your "graph".
3) Lay your ornaments out in the order you want them on your background.
4) To adhere the "ornaments" you can do a few different things. 
    A) Use scrapbooking dots and adhere it to the center of each square (or 2 per square)
    B) Use double sided tape (I'd do 2 small strips on top/bottom of each ornament).
5) Carefully apply your ornaments to the board and put the frame together. You can use the glass or not - if you don't use the glass it will look more 3D and you can use the dots that make the ornaments stand out more.



Be sure to go to TinyPrints.com and look around at their Christmas cards, Hanakkuh cards and holiday invitations. They have some darling ones. Their cards start as low as $1.99 each (10 round cards like above are $3.49 each). You can get them with photos or without. The round ones and the square ones I used in my example are printed on both sides w/ the back in a contrasting print (no photo). You could actually write a message on the back or put your family name and the year on the back.


Your turn:
If you have any great ideas for:
1) Displaying Christmas cards.
2) Any favorite holiday photo tips or traditions.
3) Craft ideas
4) Anything you'd like see in the Tiny Print line of cards (ie - recycling, kids cards, etc)


Bloggers are invited to share their ideas about using cards in home decor. Just fill out the application here: http://blog.tinyprints.com/feature-tiny-prints-christmas-cards/.

Follow Tiny Prints:

Count Your Blessings Blog Hop & Giveaway Linky! WK 3

I went to a FUN Chic Connect Boutique today before I went to work where they had some of the neatest crafts and vendors. I actually walked out with 2 cute rose buds for my jacket which I've been wanting for a while. I love 'em both! I also saw a vendor with some neat name signs using photographed letters (the ones using architecture that looks like a letter) and then there was a gal there who had those neat beaded watches where you can change the band and the watch head to match your wardrobe or if you just need something different.



Today's Featured Giveaway is a really neat one. NatureExplorers is offering 3 of my readers a copy of their Advent Activity eBook. There are all kinds of Outdoor activities, things for your family to learn about how the animals live during the winter - what do they eat? what do their tracks look like? There are also crafts to make for gifts, advent crafts and more. Be sure to sign up - it's got LOW Entries - you have a Great chance of winning.

Enter Here

PS: I had a teacher friend take a look at the lessons and activities in the ebook and she was so excited to see something like this activity book that families could use to play together and just have fun learning about nature.


Superpoints: Are you a member yet? Would you like to be? When you are a part of Superpoints you earn points through different activities like watching videos, doing & completing activities - or the easiest way is to play "Spin the Super Wheel" (this is the only one I do - my goal is to get either some Amazon GC's or else Starbucks - can't go wrong with either of those). I have several invitations and if you'd like one help yourself. If it says it isn't available try the next number (just click on it) - or if none of them work then just drop me an email @ wswpub (at) gmail.com and let me know so I can send you a invite. =D 

1) http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/2ljchk

2) http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/byd1y0

3) http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/33wfs5

4) http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/x8tszl

5) http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/bm4wvw

Count Your Blessings Blog Hop & Giveaway Linkies - Wk 3

Link up your blogs - and share your Favorite Family Activity for fall! Be sure to link up to your post about Fall Activities!  Thanks so much!

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Link UP any Family Friendly Giveaways you have on your blog! Thanks so much!
Be sure to ADD the end date and WHO can enter!

Use this format:
WIN a NatureExplore Activity Book! 11/2, WW (that means Worldwide)
The Link goes here

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Count Your Blessings Blog Hop & Giveaway LInky Wk 2!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Thanks for visiting Holiday Traditions this weekend! This blog hop and Giveaway linky will run Friday - Sunday night @ midnight. Feel free to link up your Family Friendly posts and giveaways. Thanks!

- Next Week - 

Plan on linking up a post about your families favorite Fall Activity to do together! Is it a trip to the pumpkin patch, going to the zoo, building a giant leaf pile and jumping in? Or maybe it's building a cosy fire and playing games together with a nice hot chocolate and homemade cookies? 

PS: I want to see pictures too! =D

This week's Featured Giveaway:
My featured giveaway for this weekend is an awesome one! I would love to have you ALL enter - it would make a GREAT stocking stuffer or birthday gift!

Photo Props & More Review & Giveaway

One of my readers will WIN one of these darling little headbands for their baby or little girl. They would be darling to wear to church, out for lunch with grandma, playtime, getting their pictures taken (anyone need to get those pictures taken for Christmas Cards or Grandmas?).

Enter HERE

Link up your Fall Recipes, Crafts, Fall Fun Family Activities and whatever else that triggers your creative spirit! I can't wait to follow along...

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Giveaway Linky - Link up

Be sure to use this format when you link up:  

____________, 10/19, US

Please tell us WHO can enter: US, Canada or WW (wordwide) ~ Thanks!

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Count Your Blessings Blog Hop & Giveaway Linky, Wk 1

Hi everyone! This is the first week of the Count Your Blessings Blog Hop and Giveaway Linky. First I want to explain a few things. 


1) PLEASE help with advertising: Click the Tweet button at the bottom of this page or the Share This button. This linky is heavily advertised but there is only so much I can do - if we all work together we'll be that much more successful. Please feel FREE to take a button and post it on your blog too.  ThankS!

Right Click with mouse on image, Copy, Paste on your blog.

Link to: http://holidaygiftsandmore.blogspot.com

2) Each week I will feature my Wednesday Review & Giveaway Linky. You are welcome to enter the giveaway if you are interested.

This weeks Featured Giveaway is:

One Lucky Reader will WIN a copy of

Family Fun's Halloween Issue!

(Enter Here)

3) I'd love to host an Ornament Exchange! It's going to be fairly basic - Sign Up to Join In HERE and I should know the dates here in a week or two & how I'm going to do it. I'm hoping to co-host the event with someone and if you'd like to join me that would be awesome. Thanks!

If you have a Holiday Event coming up and would like to feature it on my sidebar - let me know. All I ask is that you feature this Blog Hop/Giveaway Linky on your blog with a link back to this blog.  Thanks!

Count Your Blessings Blog Hop

Link Up Your Blog (No Giveaways Here please) Hop
Link Up any Holiday ideas for Decorating, Recipes, Halloween, Fall Fun, Crafting, etc - NO Giveaways - use the linky below this one - Thanks!


          *** Sorry no images this week - 

              I can't get them to work?***

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Please link up any family friendly giveaways. Be sure to load them like this:

WIN a ______________, 10/31, US & CA
You must indicate an ending date & who can enter
US, Canada or WorldWide (WW)

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