Holiday Crafty Time

Welcome Winter Holidays! 

This is a great time of year to carve out some very special friend and/or family time. (This is a wonderful opportunity to spend some quality, quiet time with you, too!) It gets so busy this time of year, all the visiting, meals, cooking, shopping, wrapping, decorating...so many holidays in such a short amount of time! Why not use this time to get things done and bond with your loved ones? 

Last month we covered gratitude journaling. This month we're focusing on bonding and relationship time. One great way to do this is with some type of crafting or cooking. The idea is to be an intimate, comfortable environment where you can bond with those around you or simply, be able to hear yourself think, without any interruptions. 

Remember, this is a fun exercise! You can write about who came over, what you did, and any details that you want to include in your journal. Jot down ideas for next year, too! This is a wonderful opportunity to scrapbook-up your journal pages! All you have to do to spruce it up is to add some pictures, wrapping paper and/or doodlings and drawings in your journal. Fun, simple and easy!  

If you don't already have one... 
Get a Journal!
 At Changes Made Easy .com we believe it's about consciousness. We think life should be fun... more fun... bunches and bunches of fun! We also believe that every choice each and every one of us make, everyday has the potential to substantially change the world... our world. This is a great opportunity to bring you unique and thoughtful products. We have a huge selection of various products to support all types of causes and differences in thought. Click Here to Visit The Spunky Plum. 

Need more Ideas?!! Living Lightly Newsletter posts regularly to Facebook and has a line of Holiday DIY Idea Videos on YouTube. If you haven't signed up for the monthly newsletter, you can do that here.

You can do something! Crafty or not... there is something that you are good at, can do or would like to learn. And, you can always start with something small. Remember... Have Fun! 

Here's a fun board on Pinterest (Yes! You should be on it! Really, you'll find the best ideas, pictures and recipes for anything and everything you can think of!) for those of you out there that do not cook. Best. Idea. Ever. Make some type of mix for your holiday parties, your counter  and/or gifts. You can tailor it with the thoughts you want to be thinking (and giving!) and it's so easy to make it 'special' for everyone in your life! From the raw-foodist to the vegan/vegetarian to the I love chocolate person... you've got this covered; everyone loves munches! 

Follow Jennifer McVey's board Chex Mix Recipes ❤️ on Pinterest.

OK, so, you're already crafty and fabulous in the kitchen, try branching out and doing something different this year. If you're usually surrounded by people, do something alone and if you lead more of a solitary celebration life, try doing a little something with someone else. And, crafts and cooking make this really easy! (Oh, hint... all craft stores have craft kits for everything from candle and soap making to painting a frame-able picture in a couple of hours! Yay!)

You can do anything that you like! You can make gifts for yourself, your friends, your family, everyone's  pets or you could even make things to give away. For example, all year round, the company JenCraft makes jewelry and beaded items to donate. (If you know any places that would like a gift box sent, please contact JenCraft here.) 

 JenCraft ❥ We use the gifting of our jewelry to add hope, love and inspiration to each hand it passes through.  Our goal is to have each child that uses and wears our beaded items to be reminded of how incredibly special and needed they are ~ every moment of every day.    

The company JenCraft makes jewelry, bookmarks and a variety of beaded items to give to children to brighten their worlds. We also make a variety of items to donate for auction for Charities and Fund Raisers.All of our Jewelry is Handmade and Full of Love, Hope and Blessings. Nothing our company makes is for sale. All of our creations are for donation purposes only.  Please visit us here to browse through our selections.Please let us know if you have a recommendation or if there is a special place you would like us to send out gifts or would like to become one of our gifting centers. Go to our BlogClick below to view our slideshow: JenCraft ♥ Gifts of Jewelry

Here's few more ideas for the kids in your life. You can print them or do them online. Enjoy!

[Free] Holiday Activity Books for Kids! 

Click here to peruse out selections. 

~ Why the eBooks are free and how We got Started ~

Due to rising costs and educational cut backs, Changes Made Easy .com and Full of Love Pet Supplies .com has created a series of eBooks for parents and educators to help make their jobs a little bit easier, save you some time and add some fun.

The eBooks re set up so that you are able to print the whole book or just the pages you'd like to use that day.

Our eBooks contain exercises that focus on improving communication, vocabulary, spelling patters, keeping the innocent and imaginative part of childhood alive, story writing and enhancing creative and critical thinking skills.

We hope you enjoy using them as much as we enjoy making and giving them to you. Click here to go to Free Educational Activity eBooks for Kids. 

The Grace of Gratitude

This is the time of year that we are reminded to be thankful. 

A wonderful way to stay in the grace of gratitude all year long is with a gratitude journal. 

You can write as often as you like about anything and everything that you appreciate in your life.

It's a great way to 'naturally' stay focused on what's important to you. And, you can start at anytime, at any phase of life and, of course, any age!

[This [blog] entry focuses on using one journal specifically for gratitude entries only.]  What a lovely time of year to focus on your Gratitude Journal. If you don't have one, no problem! Get one when you can. And, if you're already doing gratitude entries in your journal, good job! All of the suggestions are for you to decide what works best for you. Gratitude is about appreciation and it is extremely personal and precious. For when we deeply appreciate someone or something, it clicks something inside of us, that only we can experience/understand. Your Gratitude Journal is where you express your emotions, memories and moments of deep appreciation, love and feelings of blessings. 

If you don't have one already, 
get a Gratitude Journal and Start Today! 

Get a Journal! At Changes Made Easy .com we believe it's about

consciousness. We think life should be fun... more fun... bunches and bunches of fun!We also believe that every choice each and every one of us make, everyday has the potential to substantially change the world... our world. This is a great opportunity to bring you unique and thoughtful products. We have a huge selection of various products to support all types of causes and differences in thought. Click Here to Visit The Spunky Plum. 

Gratitude Writing

You can write about anything that moves you. You may find that each time you sit that you have different feelings and levels of appreciation for people or things in your life. You may find that what you are grateful for varies drastically from day to day or you may discover that it is the same thoughts that linger in your mind. And, it's A Gratitude Journal. You're writing about things that you are grateful for... you can't do it wrong. So, enjoy! Have fun! Revel in the joys of living a life immersed in gratitude! 

Here's just a few ideas:

• Personal Entries
• Meditation Notes
• Reflections
• Experiences
• Understandings
• Poems
• Quotes
• Lists 
• Letters 

Get Creative!

It's time to bring out your inner artist! Express yourself anyway that you like! Every few pages, try something creative. And, yes, doodling in the corners counts!

• Sketches
• Drawings
• Collages
• Stickers
• Pictures
• Decorate the Pages
• Number all the Pages
• Scrapbook the Pages
• Write in Fun Letters
• Use Markers, Crayons, Colored Pencils

Have Fun With It!

If you're the type of person that works best in groups here's some ideas for you. The more the merrier! And, kids love it!

• Gratitude Parties
• At Celebrations
• Gratitude Evenings
• Regular Get-Togethers 
• Monthly Meetings 
• Kids Only
• Family Gratitude Night 
• Theme Night (health, family, friends, etc.) 
• Honor One Person for that Meeting

[Free] Gratitude Journal for Kids! 

Click here to peruse out selections. 

~ Why the eBooks are free and how We got Started ~ Due to rising costs and educational cut backs, Changes Made Easy .com and Full of Love Pet Supplies .com has created a series of eBooks for parents and educators to help make their jobs a little bit easier, save you some time and add some fun.

The eBooks re set up so that you are able to print the whole book or just the pages you'd like to use that day.

Our eBooks contain exercises that focus on improving communication, vocabulary, spelling patters, keeping the innocent and imaginative part of childhood alive, story writing and enhancing creative and critical thinking skills. 

We hope you enjoy using them as much as we enjoy making and giving them to you. Click here to go to Free Educational Activity eBooks for Kids. 

Let It Snow!

Manifesting Ideas:
Wish Lists for the Whole Family to Enjoy

We're used to making holiday and birthday list. Actually we list things we are going to buy and do all of the time from phone calls we need to make to our groceries for the week. 

This season, use some of the list paper for what you'd like to 'see' for your family and relationships. Not the simple goal of what to accomplish but who you'd like to become and how you'd like to respond to those around you.

Holiday Wish Lists eBook here

Doing this as a family exercise can and will set a different tone for the holiday season. It will help all of your family members get to know you better and you'll get new insight into them and what their internal priorities are. 

You can also do this at a get together and with friends. 

Be as creative as you like. There's many different list pages, so that you can pick the best page for the list you're going to make in this particular sitting. 

~ The key to this exercise... think worldly, broadly and innerly. You can do it! And, as with anything, the more you do it, the better you'll get at it. And, before you know it, you and everyone you did the exercise with will be living it!

Enjoy this eBook with 35 different Holiday Wish List designs. It's fun for the whole family!  You can use them for everything from lists of stocking stuffers, gifts they want to give their friends and for wishes to help change the world. They are super cute. Enjoy!  (Click here to get the eBook now)

Gratitude Stories

These stories can compliment the lists you made beautifully or you can take a completely different route. Again, this exercise and how you'd like to spin it for you and yours is completely up to you.

Holiday Heart Paper here

You can write about things, people, emotions, memories... anything and everything you can think of. If it's in you life (in any way, shape or form) you can be grateful for it.

The pictures are so cute! There's a bunch for you to choose from and they are all lined so it will make writing a certain amount easy. (If you'd like to use the same paper for a longer exercise than just one page, you can do that , too.) 

If you need some ideas, read this blog entry. It will help. 

Being grateful is a state of being. It's a frame of mind, a deep appreciation for all that is in your life and all that will be. You're training yourself, your friends and family to connect to that inherent feeling of Being Blessed. 

Super cute holiday heart lined paper. There's 24 different designs. You can use them for a variety of writing exercises. Print the one you want at the time or print the whole eBook. It's up to you and it's fun for the whole family! (Click here to get your eBook now)

Cute Holiday Ideas

Visit our Happy Holidays Board on Pinterest

The greatest thing about living during this time is the internet. It's an amazing source of information! 
With social media booming, you can find just about everything! A great place to look for all types holiday ideas is Pinterest. Why Pinterest? It's the pictures! The toms and tons and tons of pictures. You have unlimited room to pin as many things as you like! You can separate your boards and label/title them anything that you want to. And, you can share them with the world, keep them completely to yourself or only add people that you want. You can even create boards that your family and friends can pin to. Not sure what someone wants for a gift? Go check out their Pinterst account. I guarantee you'll be surprised! lol And, it will make all your holiday shopping easier! And, Pinterest is totally free. Enjoy! (Click here to Check it out!)

Free Holiday Activity Books for Kids

There's a plethora of holiday activity books for kids of all ages. Many of the books and activities are created for the whole family to enjoy together.

Visit our Everything Holiday! Section  

Notes about the Free Activity Books: 

Why the eBooks are free and how We got Started ~

Due to rising costs and educational cut backs, Changes Made Easy .com and Full of Love Pet Supplies .com has created a series of eBooks for parents and educators to help make their jobs a little bit easier, save you some time and add some fun.

The eBooks re set up so that you are able to print the whole book or just the pages you'd like to use that day.

Our eBooks contain exercises that focus on improving communication, vocabulary, spelling patters, keeping the innocent and imaginative part of childhood alive, story writing and enhancing creative and critical thinking skills.

We hope you enjoy using them as much as we enjoy making and giving them to you.