Friday, November 06, 2009

Merry {early!} Christmas to you!




Christmas is going to be here before we know it and I have something fun to share with you to make the gift-giving part of Christmas easier, more fun and personable too! My very talented and creative friends, Kayla Aimee and Wilna F. have teamed up and are offering an online DIY Holiday Workshop. It offers so much inspiration as well as free downloads for creating projects and also gives you ideas for making everyone on your list gifts this year. They have this to say about their class (here's a link to the online classroom so you can see more for yourself!):

"Our goal for the class was to truly make it a DIY holiday. We've repurposed sweaters into armwarmers and baby leggings, ornaments into centerpieces and made sure that ease and affordability went hand in hand with high quality homemade gifts. We've even included some easy craft you can do with your kids!"

There will be more than 25 projects covered in this class, which starts on November 15th. Feel free to stop over to the classroom/website and see some more sneak peeks of the projects they will be creating as well as find answers to any questions you may have about this class. I am taking it myself and am so ready to spend a couple of extra weeks this year celebrating Christmas- it's such a special holiday. I am also excited to offer each of you the chance to win a spot in this online class. KA and Wilna are letting me give away a spot to one of you lucky Nitty.Gritty. readers. Just post a comment telling me one of your favorite Christmas gifts or holiday dish that you love and a winner will be chosen on Monday! Merry early Christmas to one of you! =)

{By the way, doesn't Kayla Aimee have great hair?! She will laugh at me for posting that...but it's so true. Love you, KA! You too, Wilna!}

45 comments:

Jeannie said...

jody! pick me pick me!! :)

my favorite holiday DISH is the filet mignon my mother makes Christmas morning. She makes it with a baranet (sp?) sauce and it is delicious. YUM.

Erika said...

Oh awesome!

My favorite holiday dish is the big Yule Log my ex-fiance's mom used to make - but shhhhhh! don't tell my husband that!)

It was soooo good I could have almost married my ex-fiance for it, but I didn't...and all is well! ;-)

Gorby family blog said...

I can't think of a favorite gift but something I'm excited about this year is giving away a nativity. My family is going to surprise a family with a piece of a nativity scene each night of advent. We'll sneak to their house and drop a piece in their mailbox each night. I'm so excited about this!

Jennifer said...

My fave dish ... a sausage/egg/cheese casserole we eat on Christmas morning. It's SO good - so delicious that it's a good thing we just eat it once a year. :)

Sheri said...

My favorite dish is homemade Cinnamon Rolls on Christmas morning. Looking forward to checking on this class. Thanks for offering a chance to win a spot!

Southern Gal said...

My favorite gift is a journey necklace that my husband gave me a few years ago. I wear it all the time. After 29 years it has been a great journey!

Favorite dish? Too many to pick just one.

Jodi said...

My favorite Christmas gift gave from my hubby the Christmas he gave me a RING, and proposed. :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Jody! Let's see...my fave gift comes in the way of a Starbucks giftcard ;) and my favorite dish is the Ricotta Cheese Cookies I make only @ Christmas (YUM!!!).

Thanks for doing this giveaway -- the class looks great!

cbk said...

My favorite holiday dish is a baked french toast dish I only make on Christmas morning - laden with cinnamon and pecans, just yummy!

Dana said...

My favorite Christmas gift was the frame my mom painted with my son's life verse on it.

Chelsea said...

My family always had quiche, cinnamon rolls, and russian tea. I love it! So now I've continued the tradition with my own kids.

djp said...

my favorite holiday dish are the candycane shaped cookies that i remember making with my grandmother. they are a lot of work but so tasty and the memories of time spent with her are ones i cherish! thanks for the chance to win!

Tracy Schmitt said...

My favorite gift is actually gifts that I am so excited to give someone else every year. I make a calendar for my parents and I can hardly wait for them to open it to see what I did.

Melinda AKA medialady said...

One of my favorite holiday gifts to give is a scrapbook related gift that I made. I love seeing their face light up as they look at the pages.
My favorite holiday dish - that is a hard one but we go every Christmas morning to my dad's house. She makes the traditional breakfast which my hubby and sons LOVE so just watching them makes me happy!

Ilona said...

I would love to do this class! I love the rueben casserole I always make for Christmas day, so yummy! Favorite gift is always what the kids buy me in the Santa shop at school.

Shelly said...

I LOVE Paula Deen's Pumpkin Ooey Gooey bars. They are to die for! You can find the recipe on the food network's website.

Anonymous said...

my favorite gift is the new ornaments that i get each year for my kids...my parents did it for us...it was always something special that we did that year or a favorite of ours at the time...it is sort of like a scrapbook of our lives..then when we left and got married we got take all our ornaments

jen from pa
ljred@verizon.net

Jan C. said...

My favorite holiday dish is Cinnamon Ribbon Loaf, which I make and we consume in mass quantities on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and whatever other holidays we can use as an excuse.

Recipe's on my blog, if you want to see it. http://janconnair.wordpress.com/2009/04/27/apparently-this-is-going-to-be-my-legacy/

The actual recipe is found by clicking on the tab for it above my blog header.

Sheri Twing said...

Ooh fun class! My favorite holiday dish is stuffing! We have a wonderful family recipe that's been in the family for years and that's always been my favorite holiday dish!

Shawnna Samples said...

Best gift ever was the Bath and Body Works Robe that My Mother in-law bought me :)

Anonymous said...

Love to receive new SmartWool socks and a new pair of P.J.'s...simple, but my very favorite Christmas gift. That and the health and love of my family and faith.

Laura G.
gloverlj@hotmail.com

kymmie said...

I still have the stuffed bulldog, cleverly named, "Bully", my grandparents gave me for Christmas when I was five. He is my favorite possession. I am 35 and cannot believe that was 30 Christmases ago!

Unknown said...

Jody.
Remember how I gave you some of Eric's clothes for Crew?
Yeah.
I'd like this class in exchange.
; )
Just kidding!
But I wanna take this class for sure.

xoxo.

p.s. Cherry Mash and Gram's Christmas Salad

stephanie Jedlicka said...

Ooohh pick me pick me! hehe :)

My favorte holiday dish is my aunt's carrot souffle. It is SO beyond delicious. Whipped carrots, brown sugar, and nuts. YUM!

barrentree said...

My favorite Christmas gift ever was this whole set of Barbie furniture (couch, chairs, little pillows, lamps, etc) that my mom had crocheted for us. Even as a little girl I knew it was a super special gift.

Traci Nissen said...

I'll do my favorite gift ...

I gave my mom a 12 gifts of Christmas gift. It was filled with all sorts of her favorites ... perfume, pop, candy, home-made Christmas bows, etc. It looked very unassuming ... put together in a Rubbermaid tote. But it was so exciting for her to open!

Loveday's Day said...

Jody! I would love to win the online class. Have never actually taken one.

My favorite holiday dish is the Christmas Eve finger food we do at my mom's with pickeled aspargus and green beans.

Cathy Pascual said...

fun class!
my fave holiday dish is roasted chestnuts. Kinda of favorite snack I make during the fall/winter season!

As for gift? It had to be my iphone last year. Best gift I never knew I wanted!

Amanda said...

Oh, how cool!!

I wouldn't say I have a favorite dish--Ok, maybe ny aunt's cheesecake--but I thought i would share with you my homemade Chrsitmas gifts this year.

I started sewing about a year ago, and made gown sleepers for my then 2 year old daughter to wear. This year I stepped it up a notch and made pants and gowns for her, and shirts and gowns for the bigger boys. For my nieces and nephews, I am making jammies for them, and bibs for the littler ones. I'm hoping I haven't crammed too much into my evenings by taking on this task, but if I start soon, then I should be good to go!!

Ellen said...

My favorite Christmas gift was the violin that Santa left for me when I was in 5th grade. We had no money, and I wanted to play so bad. And on Christmas morning, there it was!

Happy Christmas crafting!

Ellen

Susan said...

My favorite Christmas dish? My favorite family "dish" was a huge and I mean huge platter that my wonderful mom filled with dozens of homemade cookies. She made dozens of kinds and dozens in quantity! It used to sit in the middle of the dining room table and we'd all grab a chair, a glass of milk or a cup of tea and enjoy! I miss her so!

Lee said...

Rad giveaway Jody!
My fave holiday dish is the roast chicken (with stuffing) that my mum makes - it is soooooo GOOD!
Cheers,
Lee :)

Heather said...

I think my fav dish would have to be all the treats such as, peanutbutter balls, fudge, cookies. Yummy.

gleestormont said...

of course no gift could ever top my son, born on Christmas eve 1990. He just went off to college, boo hoo! I am still missing him daily, even though he was a slob!

Karey said...

Our favorite gift was to our sons when they were 12 and 8. We drove south on our way to Disney. Didn't tell them where we were going. And they had no idea. When we stopped at a restaurant in Ga we had to tell them. Memorable reaction!!!!
Thank you for the chance to win the online class.

Just call me "B" said...

Oh wow! I would LOVE to win!!!

And, I love my Gramma's homemade cream puffs!!

chris a said...

I love to make the white Christmas fruitcake that was my mother's recipe. I need to get it done this next week as it needs to be soaked in brandy for 6 weeks. thanks for the chance to win

Michele said...

My favorite gifts to give are the platters of cookies I give to my kids' teachers, therapists, aides, doctors, pharmacist, bus drivers, etc. every year. It truly takes a village to raise kids, especially those with special needs, and I love to show how much I appreciate the people that support our family! Oh yeah, there's always plenty of extra cookies for us to eat, too!

Kim Hacking said...

My favorite holiday dish is my raspberry cranberry jello. Weird i know, but it's the only time of year I make it.

September said...

My favorite Christmas present was in 2003. My husband, then boyfriend, and I had only been dating since June. So, for Christmas, he knew that since I was still in college, and had no money to spare, that his gift to me would be to take me out to pick presents for my family on his dime. I didn't get anything else, nor did I think or expect anything else. It was perfect. Presents for my family from me, from him. I loved it.

Jennifer said...

My fav holiday dish is monkey bread on Christmas morning - yummy!

Karen said...

My favorite gift? Our first year of marriage brought many changes and as Christmas approached I was heavy with child. The baby was due to arrive sometime in January and my husband said he would not take the tree down until he could take a picture of his daughter under it! At that time we didn't know if the baby was a boy or a girl but he was sure and she was early! She arrived shortly after Christmas on December 31st, but she'll always be our special gift!

Anonymous said...

My mom always made homemade ravioli for Christmas eve and we got to drink wine (gasp)!! On Christmas we had roast with Yorkshire pudding and veggies with cheese sauce (unheard of!)... Good memories!

Now, I make gnocchi for Christmas eve with homemade pesto and sausage. And my kids get to "taste" the wine! Christmas day is always Chinese takeout. Started that tradition when we moved to Indiana away from family. YUMMY!!!!

Susan Nikolai (Fran's daughter)

Jenny F said...

So hard to pick, but I love two holiday treats especially, one is Peanut Blossoms because it reminds me of my mom, and the other is peanut butter fudge like my Grandmommy used to make. SO good!

Unknown said...

How about my least favorite gift? Because it is my most favorite story-my husband bought me a beautiful digital scale, one of the fancy ones that tells you your BMI, etc. BECAUSE I did tell him that I wanted one in passing at Target. He remembered and I am sure now regretfully bought it for me. NOT the best choice but certainly memorable.