New Christmas Ornament DIY Tradition

I picked up this idea on the internet and thought I’d pass along the incredible idea to you! It’s easy, it’s fun and it involves everyone in your home. My family has decided to keep this going starting this year and many more to come. Hope you do too!

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To make these I used:

Plastic Fillable Clear Ornament Balls

Velvet Green Ribbon

Velvet Khaki Ribbon

Scissors

White Copy Paper

Black Sharpie

We began by cutting copy paper in strips to write our memories. The memories can be anything – started a new job, achieved my X goal, learned to bake, took a hike, etc. I wrote my four year olds favorite memory for her, but if you have older kids, they can write it down themselves. On the back of the memory I decided to have everyone write their names and ages. You can also have more than one memory, and get a paper for each one to fill up your ornament.

After everyone is done writing, fold the papers and place them inside the ornament ball. I opted for a velvet ribbon, but feel free to use what you have on hand, tie the ribbon in a bow, write the year on the outside of the ornament with a marker and hang on your tree. This will be fun to open next year – and the year after that.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful and blessed New Year.

Thank you so much for visiting.

A-

Follow me here @simple_naildesigns and my YouTube channel to see what I do when I’m not chasing kids. My Online Merch Shop

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Easy DIY Teacher Gifts

As we draw near to the end of the school year, I wanted to share a few ideas on gifts you can put together at home. These are three options I put together this week for ‘teacher appreciation week.’ But by making a few changes, even in the wording to the gift tags, they can also make great end of the year gifts. Please keep reading to know how to create these simple gifts for teachers.

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1. M&M Chocolate Gift

Using a punch holder, punch a hole on chocolate bag.
Tags for bags.
Tie tags on bags.
I decided to use two tags – Feel free to use one.
Final result.

To make these I used:

Small hole punch

Natural Jute Twine

M&M chocolate bags – I used the ‘sharing size’ bags

The tags are from Etsy, just search for ‘teacher thank you tags.’ Once you purchase the tags, you’ll receive them via email as a document that you will need to download. I printed the tags at home on card stock paper

*ALL tags used for all 3 DIY gifts are all from Etsy.

2. Coffee Shop Gift Card

Gather cup, lid, Kraft crinkle shredded paper and white crinkled shredded paper
Apply stickers on cups
Mark the center of lid and cut for the straw
Place coffee shop gift card inside cup
Tie tags on straw
Final result.

To make these I used:

Kraft crinkle filler paper – for the coffee

White crinkle filler paper – for the whip cream

Clear plastic 16 ounce cups with dome lids (I couldn’t find the lids this size, with a hole)

Yellow striped paper straws

“Our Little Munchkin” 2 inch stickers

“Permanent Mark” 2 inch stickers

Natural Jute Twine

Coffee Shop gift card – I used a Starbucks gift card

Gift tag

3. Markers / Pens Gift

Gather markers, pens and tags
Attach tags to pens
Attach tags to markers

To make these I used:

‘BIC’ gelocity pens

EXPO dry erase markers

Natural jute twine

Gift tag

Thank you so much for visiting! Do you have any DIY teacher gift ideas you would like to share? Please do so in the comment section.

Have a great week.

A-

Follow me here @simple_naildesigns and my YouTube channel to see what I do when I’m not chasing kids. My Online Merch Shop

Amazon – Mom Life With Chiari is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate I earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Dear Ex – A Letter

‘The Angry Therapist’ with John Kim – a therapist, is a podcast I follow. I appreciate listening to his honest opinion from his point of view. A great podcast to follow. He also has great content on his Instagram page – follow him there as well.

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I’ve been wanting to share this one for a while and have finally allowed myself to be untied and unbothered by the what if’s of people and this often judgmental world. I tend to overthink things, what people will say, what the ‘ex’ will think, what, what and what. And in sharing this, this is not to ‘stir the pot’ as they say, or dig into something that’s been left in the past. This is for me, no one else, but me. Also, hoping that you can see yourself in this, and can find comfort in this, or if you know someone that can benefit from this letter, so that you may share it as well.

This episode is titled, ‘Dear Ex, I have something to tell you.’ As he mentions, people have feelings for their ex’s – often ill and don’t know how to move forward. Maybe you’re looking for closure – that’s for a whole other post, for now though, here’s a letter to the ex, letting them know – in a healthy way, that you’re ready to wish them well.

‘Dear Ex, I Have Something To Tell You’ episode from

‘The Angry Therapist’ podcast with John Kim

Dear Ex,

Can we share a moment, a new  one? With nothing attached, forgetting everything we were and why things didn’t work. Releasing all judgment and what if’s. Can we share a moment, just one, where I can see you now – today, as a human being minus expectations, ideas of love, what went wrong and the crumbled check list we had peaking from our back pockets. Can we share the fears before we kissed because those felt real. Can we just be without labels, or dissecting dynamics. For one moment, can I experience you without us. Not to spark or reignite anything but to be reminded that we are nothing more than two people who ran towards something they felt but fell. With scrapped knees and a half smile, can we could just look at each other and laugh, knowing we were fools, but also stood on courage, we believed in something and even if it was short lived, that belief is what love is about, not the promise. Can we share a brand new experience based on what is, because the world doesn’t believe we should, because we’re suppose to close our hearts and look straight ahead waiting for someone new, as if love runs out. Because I miss you before we were we.

* This letter doesn’t mean that … I want to be with you again, this doesn’t mean that I want anything from you. This means that I see you as a human being and I acknowledge what we went through and I’m sorry for the pain. This means that I’m letting go of anger, resentment, and things that I’ve been holding on to. This means that the moment that I want to share with you may not be in real time, but it can be now as you’re listening to this. And as you’re listening to this maybe you’re thinking the same thing and if you are, then that’s all I want. Can we respect each other as human beings. Can we know that what happened wasn’t intentional but came from a place of truth at the time and there’s no more bad feelings. There’s no more anger. And I forgive you. And I hope you forgive me. And this doesn’t mean that we need to see each other again. This just means that we shared a bed and that means something. And this means that, just because we are not in each others lives anymore, doesn’t mean that I don’t care about you, or I’m not thinking about you. Not in a way that I want a round two, or a round three, or a round four. In a way that I see you as human and I’m throwing love at you.

Happy Wednesday.

A-

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