Christmas Archives - Page 2 of 26 - Feathers in Our Nest

Tips for Creating Perfect Holiday Cards {& a Minted Giveaway!}

November 28, 2016 by Aliesha

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had a great weekend with family (and, of course, enjoyed TONS of good food)!

Now that it’s officially the Christmas season, it’s time to talk about holiday cards! I love taking the time to design, order, and mail out greetings to my friends and family members, and while I know some people prefer not to send out cards anymore, it’s a tradition I don’t think will ever go out of style!

Today I’m partnering with Minted to share some tips for creating perfect holiday cards!

Tips for Creating Perfect Holiday Cards

Decide on photos first

With so many options to pick from when it comes to card designs, I find it is easier to decide on the photo (or photos) that I want to use, and then pick the card that fits best with my photo plan! On Minted.com, you can easily select which designs you want to see based on the number of photos (1, 3+, etc.).

Pick a style that reflects you

Select a design that fits with your family’s personal style. I’m obviously all about photos and scripty text, so the design I chose was perfect for us! Maybe you like clean, minimalistic designs, or bright, non-traditional holiday colors. You’ll definitely be able to find a design that fits your aesthetic!

Make it personal

Besides adding family photos, you can also personalize your design (in many cases) by changing the colors, the shape of the card, or (my favorite) adding a little paragraph about your family’s year or a special personalized greeting.

Order early

Now is the time to order rather than waiting until mid-December. You will have more flexibility in shipping options, plus you’ll have more time for stuffing envelopes and still getting your cards out on time!

Have the envelopes addressed

Did you know that Minted will address your envelopes for free? I know! It’s amazing. Pick your card design, then look for the little note on the sidebar that says “FREE Recipient Addressing.” All I did was upload my addresses, and then Minted printed the recipient addresses for me. This saves a ton of time and will definitely help you get those cards out in the mail on time!

I was so excited with how my Christmas cards turned out! I picked a design that had lots of spaces for pictures (this one) so I could share a whole bunch of our family photos!

I loved how easy it was to add my photos on Minted’s website. I could easily swap photos around and resize them as needed. So simple!

I chose gold envelope liners to add a little something extra special to my greetings. I love that it makes such a beautiful first impression!

I chose a design that opened up for even more sharing potential! I was able to add even more photos, as well as a little personal paragraph with some special words I wanted to say. The back of the card is blank, which gives me a space to write a little note if I want to.

Isn’t the little “C” monogram on the front fun? It’s sweet little touches like that which make our card feel personal and designed just for us. Love it!

Like I said, having Minted address our envelopes for us is a HUGE timesaver! Of course I always love the chance to practice my hand-lettering, but I’m so glad that this year I can just add stamps and call it a day.

I know I’ll treasure this year’s card and enjoy looking back at the sweet photos of my children and family. I hope that the Christmas greetings we send will be a blessing to others!

Here are a few other Minted holiday card designs I LOVE! (Click on the image to go to the card design at Minted.)

AND NOW… I am SO excited to share with you two very special things!

First of all, Minted is having a big Cyber Monday sale! You can learn more about that right here and start shopping for your holiday cards!

Secondly, Minted is generously giving away $125 credit to Minted.com for TWO Feathers in Our Nest readers!* How great is that?

Click here to enter the giveaway! Good luck!

*Open to U.S. residents

Feel free to pin this post for later!

Disclosure: I received compensation for writing this post in the form of product from Minted. All photos, text, and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Caldwell Christmas at the Beach 2015

December 26, 2015 by Aliesha

The weekend before Christmas, Tad’s parents invited all of us to join them at the beach for a Christmas celebration!

Of course we gladly accepted their invitation, and we all brought food, games, crafts, books, and presents to enjoy while we were together.

The cousins had a wonderful time together! For our “Christmas morning,” all the cousins wore matching Christmas pajamas. We read the Christmas story, and then everyone exchanged gifts. The cousins all made gifts for one another, which was so special.

Jude (2), Vera (5), Theodore (4 months), Brayden (9), Haley (7), Drew (9), Cordelia (3)

During our time together, we went down to the beach several times (the weather was great!), rode bikes, took walks, flew kites, played games, read stories, sang carols, played hide and seek, and of course, ate lots of delicious food. The highlight (in terms of food) was our steak dinner (cooked by Tad’s dad) with lots of delicious side dishes and creme brulee for dessert!

Jude loved watching “soccer ball” with his uncles.

I’m so glad everyone in our family loves to read!

We succeeded in getting a great family photo this year, but obviously we had to make sure the self-timer worked properly first.

Back row: Aliesha & Tad, Zac & Stephanie, Haley, Jed & Angela
On Couch: Danny, Jude, Drew, Vera, Brayden, Bobbi, Theodore, and Cordelia
Not pictured: Nate & Xiao Feng and Sansa (living in China)

We’ll always remember the lovely Christmas memories we made together on our beach trip this year! BIG THANKS to Tad’s parents for planning such a fun trip for us all!

Peppermint Cake with Buttercream Frosting and White Chocolate Ganache

December 17, 2015 by Aliesha

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The J.M. Smucker Company. The opinions and text are all mine.

I love baking at the holidays (well, anytime, really!). Recently we had some friends over for a meal, and I knew I wanted to make a beautiful, decadent holiday dessert!

I wanted to try the new Purely Simple™ line from Pillsbury™, so I headed to Publix to pick up a cake mix! As you know, I am someone who reads ingredient labels, so I was excited to see that the Pillsbury™ Purely Simple™ mixes are made with simple ingredients and do not include any artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

Because we’re in peppermint season, I concocted a delicious peppermint cake with peppermint buttercream frosting and white chocolate ganache!

The cake itself is easy… just a Pillsbury™ Purely Simple™ cake mix, eggs, milk, butter, and peppermint extract. Could not be simpler to make!

The frosting is a breeze to make too, since it starts with a Pillsbury™ Purely Simple™ Buttercream frosting mix. Just add butter, water, and peppermint extract!

Peppermint Cake with Buttercream Frosting and White Chocolate Ganache

Impressive triple layer peppermint white cake with white chocolate ganache and peppermint buttercream frosting!

Author: Aliesha @ Feathers in Our Nest

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

1 box Pillsbury™ Purely Simple™ White Cake Mix
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup milk
3 eggs
½ tsp. peppermint extract
1 package Pillsbury™ Purely Simple™ Buttercream Frosting Mix
½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup water
½ tsp. peppermint extract
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
Optional (for garnishing): candy canes and additional white chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three round cake pans.
Blend cake mix and butter in bowl with mixer on medium speed until combined.
Add milk, eggs, and peppermint extract, mixing on low speed to combine. Beat on medium speed for one minute, then increase to medium high and blend for two additional minutes.
Divide batter evenly into three pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool cake before frosting.
To prepare frosting, combine frosting mix and butter with a mixer set to low speed.
Add water and peppermint extract and mix on low until combined.
Beat on high speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl as needed.
To assemble cake, place first layer on plate or cake stand. Cover with a thin layer of frosting and a layer of white chocolate ganache (see "notes" below).
Add second layer, frost, and add ganache.
Add third layer and frost. Frost sides of cake. Drizzle a bit more ganache on top if desired.
Other garnish ideas: crush candy canes in a large zip bag and press them into the sides of the cake. Melt white chocolate, then drizzle it onto waxed paper to form trees. When hardened, place trees on top of cake.
Serve cake at room temperature or chilled.

Notes

For white chocolate ganache, pour 1 cup white chocolate chips into a heat-proof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup heavy cream until steaming (but not boiling). Pour cream over white chocolate and stir until melted. Refrigerate ganache until needed.

Peppermint Cake with Buttercream Frosting and White Chocolate Ganache

Ways to Take a Cake Over the Top

-Coat the sides with crushed candy canes, crushed cookies, or sugar sprinkles

-Create chocolate flourishes, trees, or snowflakes using chocolate or white chocolate

-Serve the cake on a beautiful cake plate

-Drizzle ganache over the cake before serving

-Add a special garnish such as fresh raspberries or sugared cranberries

I chose to garnish my cake with crushed candy canes along the sides, white chocolate ganache in between the layers and on the top, and white chocolate trees on the top to give it a beautiful presentation!

This cake has a delicious homemade taste despite starting from a box mix and being so simple to throw together. Combined with the beautiful garnishes, it’s the perfect recipe for holiday entertaining!