When I learned it was National Cookie Day yesterday, I set out to find a single recipe that I could quickly whip together using what I already had on hand. 

Handmade gifts are trending this year, so why not add a few handmade sweet treats into your gift baskets? Here are the cookie recipes I made yesterday. They were all so easy to make. Very little prep time, each baked at the same 350 degrees, and each only baked 10-12 minutes. I was able to prep one recipe while another was in the oven. 

I can't say that it didn't make me miss my double ovens, but it really did all work out okay. Just be sure to take a look at the prep notes for each cookie before you begin. It helps to know which recipes need to rest and which do not. 

However, I think if I were to make this Snickerdoodle and Brown Sugar Butter Cookie combo again, I would prep the Snickerdoodle first, but bake the butter cookies first. 

​The butter cookies need to be rolled in only sugar before baking, so I had to toss the remainder of my cinnamon sugar mixture from the Snickerdoodle and lay down only sugar for the butter cookies. Had I baked the butter cookies first, I would've had less waste. 

Recipe by Cake Whiz

I'm pretty confident to say that you probably have all of these ingredients on hand. It may be the best cookie recipe if you're in a pinch. Quick to make, quick to bake. Does it get any better?

Recipe by Tastes of Lizzy T

I don't think I know a single person who doesn't enjoy a good chocolate chip cookie. You of course don't need to make them quite as large as I did, but I can say that a giant cookie of any kind is so much more exciting to see!

Recipe by Dear Crissy

Why the elf have I not made these before now?! I've always loved a good chocolate and marshmallow combo. And this one is pretty to look at too with it's marbling look. 

Recipe by Broma Bakery

This year, my morning started off with a 5k with the neighbor ladies. I’m not a runner anymore, but it really felt good to still be able to do it -asthma and all! ​

​Anyway, as I started unpacking last year’s decor, I wasn’t thrilled. My 2019 self was REALLY into red. Lenna was just starting to see color then, and I thought red would be exciting to her. For those of you who know me well, you know I don’t do colorful. It gives me anxiety. I just can’t. ​

Actually- funny story. this past Sunday, the neighbors and I went to get pedicures to end our long weekend right, and naturally, I go for the muted grey polish. The neighbor who lives next door talked me into something more festive. While she was right about needing something more exciting, it pained me a little to see red on my toes. ​

As if it wasn’t already slowly killing me inside, the pedicurist kept making me say how pretty it was. It was like a slow stab each time. Like, OH MY GOSH, SO PRETTY! Please don’t make me say it again! It hurts! Ha! ​

Okay, so anyway, I needed to kill the red this year without spending a fortune to replace it all. Also, I hate to waste. So I grabbed a few paint sample colors similar to the palette of my home and a gold leaf pen and went to work. It definitely took more time than I thought, but I also should’ve secured a babysitter. It’s hard to craft and entertain a toddler at the same time! 

What was once a shimmery red, now a beautiful shade of ivory. Yes, I know how that sounds. Bur really, the ivory really is a beautiful contrast against the tree. I used the Rust-Oleum Paint + Primer in the color Ivory, Satin finish. Purchased at my local hardware store. Would it have been cheaper to just buy new beads? Probably. But would I have found exactly what I was looking for? Probably not. That's the beauty of a good DIY -it's custom! 

Dane and I moved into our house April 2019, and I'm just now figuring out the color palette I like for our home. It wasn't something I was thinking of until recently. But at any rate, I decided to pull those colors into our Christmas decor this year. 

I used small paint samples of both Benjamin Moore Duxbury Gray and Wrought Iron to paint over a few of the colored ornaments I had from many many years ago. I think I had picked these up a few years back as part of an assortment. I must've pulled out the silver and gold ornaments and left the mix of reds, blues, and greens. 

Once I got them painted, they looked a little flat, so I grabbed a gold leaf pen I had gotten from Hobby Lobby last year, and added some detailing. I love how it added a little bit of festive shimmer and ties in nicely with the other gold ornaments I already have. 

The golden glitter ornament I've actually had (and used) every year since I made them back in 2013. I just filled a clear ornament with glitter. This year, I dumped out all of the glitter inside of each ornament, and just left what was stuck to the sides. This way, if Lenna pulls on it I won't have a pile of glitter to clean up.

​These trees are something I had Dane cut down for me from his scrap wood last year. I painted them red, white, and a few shades of green, and then placed them on our gallery wall with the advent calendar I made last year. This year, I'm leaving the gallery wall to winter art, and put the trees on the kitchen counter and entry table instead.

Decorating for Christmas doesn't have to be expensive to be beautiful. You just have to be creative with what you have.