Operation NYE Made EASY

I know, I know... it's not even Christmas yet! So, why am I even bothering to bring up something that you may not want to think about for another 24 or 36 hours?? Well, you're probably going to need some help for your New Years Eve celebration, and I have just the thing to help you out!

MyPunchbowl.com is a "new" (relatively speaking) alternative to Evite. They want to say thank you for all of the support they received in 2009 and want to show new users just how cool they are. I admit to being an avid Evite user, but MyPunchbowl has piqued my interest, and I'm going to give it a whirl!

Here's the best part: You can give it a whirl too! FOR FREE. Because you are a reader of my blog, MyPunchbowl will give you a FREE upgrade to a Premium account ($30 value for one year) when you sign up and create a new account with them before December 31. Why not? IT'S FREE!!

The cool thing is that the MyPunchbowl Premium account (which is FREE to new account users for one year!) allows you to do just about anything you need to do to plan and execute your next gathering. In addition, you will have unlimited access to invitation and e-card designs, plus the ability to send advertising-free invitations and e-cards for one year.

Go on, check it out, and sign up. But you need to hurry because they are only giving away 10,000 Premium accounts! Go to this link and they'll know I sent ya. Show them some love; after all, it's the season of love, and give yourself the gift of EASY when planning your New Years Eve celebration!

Still More Last-Minute Ideas

Hostess with the Mostess posted a wonderful collection of 15 peppermint desserts... and how hard is it to NOT want to make them all??

Photo from HostessBlog.com (link to photo below).

This is just a sample of the yummy dessert ideas. Click here to go directly to the post to find more!

Martha Stewart also has some awesomely creative ideas for those of you looking to put the finishing touches on gifts, wrapping, decorating, centerpieces, and more! Click here to visit MarthaStewart.com for more ideas.

Sweet Treats for the Kiddos (and Big Kids, Too!)

I was looking for a fun, yet practical gift (that's the adult in me speaking) for some cool kids I know. I walked around the store a few times last night and was finally inspired to make each child a hot cocoa kit.

I had some Christmas-themed take-out style boxes that I filled with red filler. I then added a few packets of hot cocoa mix, a snack-sized bag of mini marshmallows, and some mini-candy canes. I'll finish them off with some fun tags (like the printable ones in this post!). Take this idea to the next level and make it a nice Christmas gift for your favorite family, your children's friends, neighbors, etc. who can enjoy a nice cup of hot chocolate with the ones they love.

Here's another idea... a friend and I created a "hot chocolate bar" last Christmas after Christmas dinner was finished. The kids and adults alike enjoyed a steaming cup of hot chocolate and a selection of gourmet marshmallows that were dipped in chocolate and various toppings. Mmmmmm.....

Holiday Posting Blitz!

Christmas is almost here.... and if you're like 98% of the world, you still might have some last minute tasks to complete. I'm here to help you out! I'll be posting several ideas today for last-minute additions to your tree, gifts, table, etc.

If you need some CUTE gift tags, check out these printable ones from Wiley Valentine. Aren't they fun??

Photo from Wiley Valentine blog (link below).

Click here to go to the Wiley Valentine blog and download from the post. Enjoy! More to come!

Counting Down to Christmas....

I don't know about you, but I feel like the holiday season is FLYING right by me! That's a shame because this is one of my favorite times of year, especially for blogging. And that being said, I owe you an apology. I've been slacking on the blog posts lately, but I have good reasons! In my personal life, I moved over Thanksgiving, did a half-marathon the following weekend, and just started to unpack this past week after regaining movement in my legs. :-) Not to mention, I have a day job, and I spent the last couple of nights working on treats for my co-workers.... and totally forgot to take pictures to share with you!

At any rate, I found some neat inspiration today from an historical "legend" in my town. Check out The Davenport Hotel and Tower blog to see the results of a gingerbread house competition to benefit a local charity- amazing stuff!

Snow White House- winner of the competition

Photo from The Davenport Hotel & Tower Blog (link below)

I almost want to attempt the same level of creativity in my own kitchen, but I don't think time allows for that this year. Click here to see the post and additional photos.

If any of you have gingerbread house photos to share, e-mail them to creativeentertaining@gmail.com by Sunday, December 27 and I'll do a special post with your photos. I love seeing what other minds (and hands) create!