These sweet, sweet wreaths are near & dear to my heart. They were a random creation a few years back for a market I signed up for. I knew I wanted to make wreaths, but I didn’t know exactly how I would. As I was prepping the greenery for the hoops, I set one down for the glue to dry. Well, I had some torn out pages from a hymnal on the ground & was not paying attention as I set the decorated hoop right on top of it. It was meant to be! I have been making these now for loved ones to hold memories, favorite songs, family recipes, anything that can be printed on paper, basically. Now I share with you exactly how I make them so that you can make them too!

This one is not Christmas related but something that I have been wanting to try for so long! There are a lot of ways the internet says you can do this, but in true Aby fashion, I am going to wing it. I thought that Christmas would be a good time to share this since it could be a great gift idea. Whether something for your in laws or a stocking stuffer, we love our beeswax wraps. They are a product most people know about but might not try them out for themselves. Well, now they get to!

A Christmas project that is good for all ages. With so much room for creative movement, these Salt Dough Ornaments are meant to be a holiday tradition. Here I share exactly what I used & did for these cute, imperfectly perfect decorations. I share different things you can do to make them special & just how to make them last for years to come. This is going on the tradition list for sure!

A fun summer activity my in law family started doing is making zucchini relish & salsa with everyones garden — one that we have yet to contribute to but that is okay because we have plenty of farm stands around us. Canning for the coming months means lots of empty jars, jars that take up space in the cub bard. I like to sprinkle in some Christmas in each room, doesn’t have to be anything too crazy. These now empty jars are the perfect thing to fill to reach this cheerful decor. Whether you have your own collection of empty mason jars searching for a purpose, or need to make a thrift store run for some in expensive glass, these snow globes are just the trick to fill that holiday activity time.

Now that we are living in our (hopeful) forever home, I think it’s about time to make friends with our neighbors. We have always known our neighbors at our other houses, but were never super neighborly. One time we helped a man on crutches shovel his driveway! However, there’s more we could do. We have received cute plates of cookies from the house across the street & are so excited to finally give back! These stovetop potpourri holiday jars were not only relatively inexpensive, they were super easy to make a large batch of. Here’s how we made 12 jars of holiday goodness for our friends & neighbors!

What a strange time we’re in. I think about what habits we will all hold after this passes. Will we be this conscious of the germs around us after the pandemic threat is gone? I must say that the things I am doing now are things I should have been doing long before this. I will say that sanitizing my hands & the areas around me more frequently is a habit I will like to always carry. With stocks so incredibly low for any type of sanitizer, making these DIY sanitizer wipes were my only hope. Luckily I had everything in the house ready to go.

I was raised by a mother who cared deeply for gifting. She put so much thought and passion into her gifting that it was contagious. Not only was the gift a perfectly paired grouping fulfilling all your hopes & dreams, but the wrapping was always stunning. She just has a gift for gifting.

Just like that, Christmas is over. I hope you all had wonderful days full of family, love & happiness. Now we’re on to New Year’s. Personally, I am big on resolutions. I am all about choosing goals, planning your game, & kicking them in their booties. This next year especially. My words for this next year are INTENTIONAL CONTENTMENT. I will be sure to touch on that later, but I wanted to end 2018 with just that.