One way I give back

My three boys have all attended our town's small Catholic school from grades Kindergarten through 6th grade. Small class sizes and an education rooted in faith are just two of the reasons we chose St. Max for our children. The school's staff makes every child who walks through the doors feel special and the families who attend welcome every new comer with open arms. Back when my kids first started school at St. Max, I knew I wanted to give back. I wanted to do something to really make an impact on our teachers, letting them know how appreciated they were.

Today on the blog, I'm sharing how I give back to our Catholic school each Christmas season. What started out as an idea has blossomed into an annual tradition that our school and parishioners look forward to. My hope is that you take my idea, make it your own, and pay it forward to help another school in need.

I knew that our teachers and staff had various things they wanted to see in their classrooms. Maybe it was a new area rug for story time... or a certain poster for the classroom wall. Whatever the need, big or small, every classroom had one. And so the Wish Tree was born.

All the teachers and staff were told to make a list of all their classroom wishes. These wishes, both big and small, were made into our wish tree ornaments. Here's how I did it...

First I cut circles out of used Christmas cards to act as my ornaments. The Punch I use is linked herea. The first year I managed to come up with enough old Christmas cards to fill our tree. Then, as years went by, parishioners started delivering their used Christmas cards after the holidays. Now I have an endless supply and I love that!

The ornaments need to be double sided, so I also cut circles out of lined and plain white paper. I run the plain paper through an adhesive machine, and stick the circles back to back - so one side is a christmas image and the other side is blank. I then punch a hole in the top of each ornament. And now for the wish...

I took those wish lists from teachers and wrote every single wish on an ornament. I made sure to label the top of the ornament with the recipient in red ink so it really stands out... (Kindergarten, 5th Grade, Music, or even the School Office). This will readily tell people who they are buying for.

I'm always as detailed as I can be with the school's wishes. I include the item's description, price, and the website or store it can be found at. No wish is ever too big or too small. Some ornaments might be for dry erase markers for $8, water color paper for $40, or a specific amount of money for a classroom field trip. Every single ornament is for a specific need. Tuition money, uniform gift cards, or reams of colored paper. People know exactly what they are buying and what their money is going for. I think that is one of the reasons why our school wish tree has been so successful.

Lastly I take ribbon loops and attach them to each of my ornaments. The ornaments are all hung on our school's wish tree set up in our Church gathering space. As people come and go, they'll stop, look at the ornaments, and maybe take one or two to help out our school. On our wish tree I have instructions...

Please considering helping out our school by purchasing one of our wishes on this tree.

Wrap up your donation and be sure to use the ornament as the gift tag so we

know where to deliver your gift. Wrapped gifts can be left under our wish tree or

delivered to the school office.

It is so important to label each ornament with the specific classroom. Not only will the school know who to deliver the wrapped gift to, but parents will typically find ornaments specific to their child's grade.

Presents are all delivered to each classroom after the holidays ... and sometimes teachers will have students help unwrap the classroom gifts. It's really beautiful to see how excited the students are when they receive new books and things for their classroom.

The wish tree as been such a blessing for our school. From Sharpie markers to field trips to even a Cricut for school bulletin boards... so many needs have been filled by people's generosity... and you gotta love that.

Remember to check out my Instagram @smalltownme

Love Emily.

Turning your Christmas cards into memorable books

Thanksgiving is over and any day now our mailboxes will be filled with christmas cards and greetings from family and friends. So much fun to get, but what do you do with all those holiday greetings after Christmas is over?

Today on the blog, I'm sharing an easy and fun way to hold on to all those holiday greetings for Christmas's to come.

These little holiday flip books are so easy and fun to make. With only a couple supplies and a little bit of time, you can transform your family's Christmas greetings into the cutest holiday books to enjoy year after year. So pop in a Christmas movie and let's get started.

First, gather together your Christmas cards and pull out all the cards with a blank back. You are going to cover the backs with patterned Christmas paper so that your book's pages are decorated on every side. Don't stop at paper... you can use Christmas cards or pages out of Christmas books... even wrapping paper. Another thing you can incorporate are handwritten holiday notes... because a persons handwriting can be even more precious then a picture. Think outside the box and make this book your own!

Next, gather all your cards and pile them up, aligning the top left hand corner. Your pile is not going to be perfect. Some cards will be portrait, others will be landscape... and they will be in all sizes. This will make your book fun and homemade. IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE PERFECT - THAT'S THE BEAUTY. Take a hole punch, and punch a circle hole in that top left hand corner of every card.

Next your going to feed all your punched cards through a ring. You have just assembled your flip book. Take a couple ribbon scraps and tie a few knots onto your ring for a festive finishing touch.

I love displaying our books in our living room. They get looked at, shared, and loved all season.

I've linked everything you need to make your Christmas card books. All you need are your holiday cards and greetings.

Stay merry my friend and happy crafting!

Remember to check out my Instagram @smalltownme

Love Emily.

How I Hang my Christmas Stockings

It's the Christmas season and I am in full on decorating mode. Christmas trees, lights, and glitter are EVERYWHERE! Every family has their own Christmas traditions. Maybe you gather around and exchange gifts with your loved ones on Christmas Eve. Or your family wakes up at the crack of dawn Christmas morning to see if Santa came. Or maybe you rush to your Christmas stockings to find them packed full of goodies...

and then realize they were too heavy for the mantle and ended up on the floor. Sorry - not the cutest visual.

Today on the blog I'm filling you in on my decorating idea that is guaranteed to keep those Christmas stockings safe and sound... Santa approved!

A couple years ago, I said goodbye to our fireplace mantle and moved our Christmas stockings to our staircase. Not only did the stockings brighten up our entryway, but they stayed put - no matter how heavy they got Christmas morning. AND BONUS - our family's 5 stockings didn't block our view of the fireplace anymore! (Seriously... this Minnesota girl LOVES her winter fires!)

To make my Christmas Stocking staircase display, all you need are:

1. your family's stockings

2. as much garland as you want

3. and ribbon

For my display, I use four different garlands. My burlap ruffle garland acts like my anchor. My other garlands simply wrap and twist around the burlap, making my display full and whimsical.

FIRST, I lay out my garlands and gather the end. This is what I will attach to the start of my banister.

NEXT, I take my ribbon and tie my garland to the banister. The ribbon I use is a wide felt ribbon - I don't use glittered ribbon because I don't want to scratch my banister. I continue gathering my garland and securing it to my banister every couple stairs until finished.

NEXT, I attach my Christmas stockings. To do this, I use a skinnier grosgrain ribbon. Starting at the base of your staircase, tie up your first stocking. When attaching your stocking, tie your ribbon around the ENTIRE garland and banister - you want to make sure your cute stockings are visible and not being covered by your chunky garland. Continue moving up your staircase until all your Christmas stockings are hung.

The striped ribbon is holding my Christmas stocking to the railing. Notice how I went around the entire garland.

No matter how you decide to hang your stockings this holiday season, may you and your family have a blessed Christmas.

Stay merry my friend!

Remember to check out my Instagram @smalltownme

Love Emily.