Category: Home Decor Ideas

All you last-minute shoppers, rejoice! You may be worried that you waited a bit too long to shop for gifts, but we’ve got you covered with some great gift options for the whole family that are able to be shipped quickly (or picked up at a local store) near you.

Fill your cart and check that nagging to-do item off your holiday list!

Love DIY Christmas Decor? Check out:

• Easy Oversized Christmas Wreath DIY (with Pool Noodles!)
• 3 Easy No-Sew Christmas Tree Skirts
• Dried Citrus Ornament DIY
• 5 DIY Holiday Garlands

Meringue cookies always remind me of the holidays; maybe because they look like snow. If you’ve never had a meringue cookie before, they are crispy on the outside with a slightly chewy center. And they melt in your mouth as you eat them. Yum!

Made with only five ingredients, these cookies are simple. You bake meringue cookies low and slow, so they do take a little longer to make. But they are so beautiful that it’s worth it.

Meringue cookies are delicious all on their own, but you can also dress them up like homemade candy by adding melted chocolate and sprinkles or crushed peppermint to the bottoms.

Meringue cookies are also fun to decorate—you can add them to the top or sides of a frosted cake or cupcake.

Related: Looking for more holiday baking ideas? Check our Christmas archive.

Meringue Cookie Ingredients:

• Egg whites
• Cream of tartar
• Salt
• Granulated

I’ve always wanted to host a gingerbread house decorating party, especially since becoming a mom. This is a great party idea for young kids, but also a solid adult party idea.

Decorating gingerbread is something I love dearly and can spend hours doing. In this post, I will share how I decorated for my party, tips for building gingerbread houses faster, and treats to serve at your party.

This post is sponsored by Spoonflower and the table linens and napkins you see are custom made from their site. I love Spoonflower’s assortment of unique prints created by independent artists.

Related recipes to serve: Gingerbread Cookies, Puppy Chow Mix, Christmas Cupcakes and a Hot Chocolate Bar

Setting up a gingerbread house table:

1. Set a table with a pre-built gingerbread house for each guest. Leave the houses undecorated or very lightly decorated so they can do the rest.
2. Provide an assortment of

Christmas is just around the corner. If you’re scrambling to get your gifts together, don’t worry—we have over 50 easy DIY gift ideas to share with you today!

If a DIY doesn’t sound like your thing, Elsie put together a big gift guide with plenty of options for everyone on your list.

OK, back to homemade gift ideas. All of these (over 50!) DIYs have one thing in common— they are easy to make. Keep scrolling for all the goods!

These salt dough photo frame ornaments would make a special gift for a family member or friend. Salt dough is so nostalgic!

More gift ideas made with salt dough:

A jar of whipped peppermint hand scrub is perfect during the cold winter months. This scrub is made with essential oils and smells amazing.

Who wouldn’t love a homemade citrus mint foot scrub or pink sugar body polish?

More natural body

This week, we are talking about our favorite purchases from 2022—everything from books, to skincare, splurges, and more.

We are also sharing your favorite A Beautiful Mess blog posts of the year.

You can find the podcast posts archive here.

A big thank you to our sponsors! Check out the offers from Modern Fertility, Ritual, BetterHelp, and Everlywell. And, if you’re looking for a specific code you heard on the podcast, you can see a full list on this page!

Show Notes:

Favorite book of the year: 

Elsie – If We Were Villians by ML Rio.  

Emma – A Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Favorite beauty item you tried this year: 

Elsie – Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush

Emma – Glossier Futuredew Serum 

Best budget finds under $20: 

Elsie – Trusted Tarot and Libby app

Emma – A thifted lavender sweater

Favorite