I come bearing early holiday cheer with a reminder that entries for the second Inspired Creations Contest (open to readers, vendors and bloggers alike) and holiday gift exchange have to be postmarked by November 8! Read up on all the details on the official contest page.  The contest is perfect for everyone because the DIY creation does not have to be wedding-related, you can envision any type of gift your heart desires!

One grand prize winner will receive a $200 …

To get everyone in the mood for this weekend, and maybe to inspire some last minute ideas, here are some spooky halloween decorating images!

{Images credited to (clockwise): Google Images, the Lady blog,  Porter House Designs, and Right at Home}

Growing up, my grandmother always had these in her house around the holidays, so the smell of clove studded orange pommanders really brings back fond holiday memories for me.   While making these may seem old-fashioned, it’s easy to do, and their scent can fill a room.

What you’ll need:

Clean and unblemished oranges:

Whole cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and groung cloves:

Elizabeth Anne Designs and The Sweetest Occasion are back with the latest Inspired Creations Contest and our first annual Inspired Creations holiday gift exchange!

For this Inspired Creations Contest, we’re asking readers, bloggers, and vendors alike to get involved and we’re challenging you to create an original DIY gift idea. You can envision it as a favor idea, a bridesmaid gift, a holiday gift – anything goes! We encourage you to throw out all of the trends and traditions and think …

Not going to lie, this next craft is a labor of love.  It’s a bit time consuming, but it’s a great thing to keep your hands busy on a cold night in front of the fireplace!  These hand-embroidered cards make a great gift for friends (I made them for our holiday swap…hope you enjoy them, Cyd!) , not to mention that they are far cheaper than purchasing them in the store…

Materials needed:
-Kraft paper cards and envelopes (Michaels or other craft …

I might be a little behind in getting on board the glitter house boat (I believe they became re-popularized in 2006 by Martha), but some people still haven’t heard of them so…  Here are two little houses I made.

“These quaint little decorations, known as ‘putz houses’ or ‘putzes’, were found on tables, mantles and under Christmas trees in homes across America for many decades starting around the early 1900′s.” (-LittleGlitterHouses.com). The blue one above as an attempt at a model …

Our very own ABCD has created the most perfect holiday cards that I just had to share with ya’ll (heads up, they are not kid friendly)!

Amy says:

A few weeks ago, I started working on our personal holiday cards. I tried sayings like “Season’s Greetings” “Happy New Year” and “May your season be bright.” Nothing seemed right. I decided to wrap things up on the computer and go clear my head with a good workout. Right before I closed our holiday …

My family is a crew of perennial over-gifters. We love giving gifts; in fact, we can’t quite control ourselves. Our Christmas Eve extravaganzas are infamous. Presents begin in neat piles under the tree, but not two feet later are stacked to dizzying heights, toppling over one another, and spreading out half-way across the living room floor. We have a ritual for opening the gifts, too: one at a time, oldest to youngest. It takes hours. There is applause and fanfare …

Husband and I have a teeny tiny gift budget and so it’s important for me to get creative when Christmas rolls around. We narrowed down our list to the least amount of people I felt comfortable buying gifts for (there are few things worse than receiving a nice gift from someone you didn’t buy one for!), and I went to town coming up with ideas that wouldn’t break the bank. Here’s what I came up with. (And yes I take …

Looking for an easy last-minute crowd-pleaser for your Thanksgiving dessert? Your search is officially over. This Cranberry Upside-Down cake is not only visually stunning, but tastes delicious, is perfectly seasonal, and is appropriate for bakers of all skill levels.

{photo by me}

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From my Home to Yours
Printable Recipe

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 sticks (14 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup chopped …