Space Themed Gift Wrap Using Paper Bags

We celebrated our son's fourth birthday last month with a space/astronaut/rocket theme. It was a lot of fun to put together and I will be sharing all the details soon. But first I thought I would share my simple gift wrap I did using paper bags and star stickers.

2020 is the year of the paper bag for us. Many of the stores we shop at have been offering paper bags in lieu of reusable bags due to covid. So we have an overabundance! Plus I have been trying to buy less things and use less waste so I have decided to stop buying wrapping paper and try to use what I have.

The simple gift wrap turned out even sweeter than I had hoped. I also added some gold letter stickers for a T initial or to spell out happy birthday.

With each passing birthday, while I want to make things special for my kids, I am realizing that it doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive. Instead, with a little creativity, I can make everyday items special and beautiful.

The gifts were a hit with our newly four year old! He loved the starts and letters and I felt good about using what I had around the house.

I hope you will find these simple gift wrap ideas inspiring. 

Let's make the everyday beautiful!

White Chocolate Almond Butter Balls: Frozen Dessert Recipe

Peanut butter and chocolate is a favorite combination of mine.  And really any nut butter and chocolate is my dessert of choice.  So after looking for a semi-healthy everyday treat option, I created this simple recipe for a Reese's inspired frozen dessert.

I have tried a variety of nut butter and chocolate ball/cup recipes and have found this to be the easiest while still tasting great.  You can use any nut butter and any chocolate you want.  And I love that with this recipe, you only have to use three simple ingredients.

I prefer to have these frozen - they are kind of like an ice cream bite.  And by freezing the almond butter I didn't have to worry about trying to form it into perfect balls (or adding anything to them to make them easier to form).  Dropping them with a spoon into messy globs makes this recipe much more doable for me on a regular basis!

I have also made this recipe with peanut butter and chocolate and it is delicious!  

White Chocolate Almond Butter Balls

1/2 cup almond butter (or any nut butter)
2-3 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup of white chocolate (or any chocolate) - I used the melting kind

Mix almond butter and honey in a bowl.  Scoop almond butter mixture with a spoon and drop on a lined baking pan.  Put balls into freezer to harden.

Microwave white chocolate in a bowl for 30 second increments at 50% power until melted.

Pull out chilled almond butter balls and dip into melted chocolate.  Return balls to baking pan and put in the freezer to harden.

Once frozen, store in an airtight container in the freezer.

Tips For Staying Well

As our family enters more and more back into the world, I am reminding myself of some habits to start at home for keeping us as well as I possibly can. They are my go to's for cold and flu season but with a summertime spin. Fall will be here before we know it so I'm happy to kick off these habits now as little daily rituals.

+ Opening the windows every morning to clean the air

+ Running humidifiers in bedrooms at night to help kill off germs 

+ Diffusing thieves regularly. Diffuse in bedrooms with lavender at night.

+ Signs of a sore throat or possibly a cold - thieves lozenges, change sheets, clean towels, can even change toothbrushes

+ Cleaning with thieves cleaner

+ Getting plenty of sleep, regular exercise, and time outside

+ House plants to help clean the air

+ We also like using thieves hand sanitizer - I feel better about using this with my kids who are constantly eating or licking their hands! And it doesn't dry out my hands as much.

+ Yoga to help fight off joint pain that keeps me from sleeping well

+ Elderberry supplement 

+ Say a prayer and trust God is in control! Journaling and quiet time to keep my heart at peace.

Stay well friends!

I have a wellness Instagram account @domesticfashionistawellness that I periodically post at. I do not sell essential oils at the moment, but I love sharing what I have learned and how I use them at home, with my kids, and for personal use.