Ciao for Now...

gifts

Christmas has come and gone. Service missed and delayed arrivals. Gifts were given and received. Dishes washed and put away. Loads of laundry done and more waiting. Family illness came and lingers still.  

ciao

Looking around it is plain to see that material things don't bring lasting happiness and He alone has control of this ride called life.  I need a Christmas do-over and a vacation! See you in 2011. Gimme a good year and no whammies! xo

Weekly Challenge: Trusting in the Darkness & A Winner

nite light

What does the darkness bring for you? Fear? Worry? Anxiety? Yes, yes, and yes for me. I tend to often forget that even when I can't see or feel God, He is there - quietly working out all the details that I am fretting over. This week, I am choosing to live in the light - the light of Christ who promised me, "Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you."

Saturday marks the annual celebration of God's Light coming into the world. Celebrate! For He has come and devoured the darkness! Holla! Sing Praise! Do a little dance! Get jiggy with it!  No matter how you celebrate, do it with all your might! There's no better reason to shake your grove thang! Merry Christmas sweet readers. xo

Oh, and who will be rockin' those Christmas sweaters next year? Drum roll please...........

Emma! via the the random number generator. Send your addy and I will get these lovely ensembles in the mail. xo

Together

All is Merry and Bright when this guy is at my side. He makes me look good; thank you Photoshop! He does a mean James Brown dance. He's the world's best Dad. He has been God's instrumental tool to restore the years the locust have eaten in my life. He's 10x hotter than Justin Timberlake! Just sayin'. He lets me decorate however I want. He supports my blog and etsy shop. He takes wicked awesome photos. He. Completes. Me.  There is no one I'd rather spend Christmas Eve or Christmas with - ever!

in this cabin

feeling this

under this

How about you? Who do you want under your mistle-toe this year? xo

Don't forget to comment for your chance to win an entire family Christmas ensemble here!

Blog for Digs - My Childhood Bedroom Was...

Today I have the honor of participating in Claudia Clobes' brainchild, Blog for Digs. Claudia has united tons of bloggers with Dwell with Dignity to raise awareness and funds as they "help families escape poverty and homelessness through design." Quite the worthy cause, I do believe. Yesterday, Pink Black Grey shared her childhood bedroom and today I get to do the same!

Let me set the mood: white walls, blue carpet and lots of kittens. Add the following items and you have one sweet girlie room. It was a lot like this but human size. And my wardrobe was nowhere near that cool. That's the one thing my room was missing.

bedroom

French Provincial Furniture (which I'm pretty sure was standard in every girls' room in the 70's) I thought I was so cool dressing up with all my makeup (and lots of it) at this vanity. My aunts still swear I could put on makeup better than any of them back then. Perhaps I missed my calling.

Throw a little Holly Hobbie bedspread into the mix along with lots of ruffles.

Upon entering my bedroom you would always find my besties: My Friend Mandy and Ginny. These girls were my homies. Poor Mandy had dreadlocks I loved her so much! (Side note, my sweet Mother-in-law gave me both of these dolls when I married my hubs! I still have them.)

besties

If you'd like to check out other bloggers' childhood bedrooms, go here for a schedule. What was your childhood bedroom like? Did you have a favorite item? xo

Colder Temps = Happiness

Let's talk cold weather and skip the part about runny noses, the flu and coughs. Deal? Instead, let's talk hot drinks, coats, scarves and boots. All of which make Fall and Winter so much fun for me.

After looking at these two images I think I have an addiction to scarves and neutrals! How about you? What do you look forward to wearing most in the colder months? Have a fabulously chilly day! xo

His & Hers: Christmas Wishlist

Monday. Monday. Bring on the His & Hers! If you're playing along with Alli and me, please let us know. We'd love to highlight what you're doing as well.

Today I thought I'd share with you our one item that each of us would love to see under the tree Christmas morning.

Are you salivating? I am. Electronics heaven. What's your one big item? xo

Around the House: A Christmas Giveaway

As a Christmas gift from our family to you...Pure and Noble would like to wish you a very "Hairy Christmas" with our first ever Christmas Giveaway! See those super smokin' hot Christmas ensembles? They can be yours! All you have to do is (1) become a follower (by clicking the Google Friends button on the right) and (2) leave a comment. That's right - we've made it that easy to look this good for your own Christmas card or party next year! Happy commenting! xo

Giveaway Includes:
Men's V-neck sweater vest
Men's green Polo turtleneck
Women's Christmas sweater vest
Women's green turtleneck
Child's multi-color sweater
Toddler's green velvet button-front vest

Now that is one stylin' giveaway my friends. We'll select a winner Christmas Eve.

(PS - If we make it to 100 comments, we'll throw in the afro!)

Weekly Challenge: Christmas Edition

christmas tree

Earlier this week, Rachel of Smile and Wave posted a public service announcement. It read, "10 more days until Christmas." What the what?  I didn't know if I wanted to punch her or hug her for that little bit of info.  None the less, I set out to "get 'er done" and mark all my Christmas to-dos off my list.

* Send out Christmas cards - check!

(last year's card)

* Finish shopping for the kiddos - check! (This wasn't really too hard since they only get 3 each and my sister had already picked up their skateboards for me.)

* Make reindeer candy canes - check!

* Co-host pre-K Christmas party - check!

*Tell our oldest that Santa's not real - check!

***

Now, before everyone gets to thinkin' we've ruined the magic of Christmas, I would like to share that I was having some serious guilt over lying to him. I want our boys to know that they can always trust us. Also, how do you explain to your child that the kids around the world not getting toys aren't "good or bad" their family is just in a tough spot, if you don't expose the Santa myth? So my husband came up with the genius idea of telling Jude that Santa is like Batman and Spiderman. He just makes Christmas more fun. Guess what... He doesn't believe us. He still thinks he's real. I love the innocence of a child.

What do you still have left to do before Christmas Day? xo

Happy Birthday Me!

***

I'm taking the day off today to enjoy my special day with friends and family.

***

It would bring me great joy to hear from those of you who read my blog and have never commented before. I love knowing who my readers are. It doesn't have to be much, a simple "Hi!" would rock my granny bones to the core! xo

PS - In honor of my birthday, I'd like to give all my lovely readers a little gift - 15% off your purchase at Pure and Noble etsy.  Coupon Code: GRANNY15
xo

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Party Leftovers

Everyone I know over-plans a party. It's not a bad thing. You plan for more attendees and expect less. This inevitably leaves you with left-over party supplies: paper plates, napkins, party hats, balloons etc.  You could do one of two things (of which I have done both), you can store them away for the next party or toss them in the recycle bin. For today's post, I thought I'd show you how I turned a couple of my old party supplies into Christmas crafts with the kiddos.

Christmas Tree

materials:
party hat
hot glue gun
empty toilet paper roll
2 popsicle sticks
fuzzy pom poms

Glue popsicle sticks inside the empty toilet paper roll on opposite sides of one another.

Next, remove the elastic string from the party hat.

Then, add bigs gobs of glue to the tops of the popsicle sticks and place your party hat on top or the sticks, pressing the sticks into the party hat sides and allowing glue to dry.

Last step, glue your colored pom poms all over the tree. Voila!  You're finished! Easy huh?

We put our little tree on cake-plates and surrounded it with our Playmobile nativity scene. I'm pretty sure Jesus didn't have a Christmas tree in the manger, but it's better than the cardboard stable that came with the nativity scene.

Paper Plate Wreaths

materials: 

paper plates

scissors

hotglue gun

yarn

pom poms

plastic toy of your choosing

ribbon

First, cut the center out of your paper plate.

Next, secure yarn on back of plate and then wrap around the entire plate. (Be patient with yourself, this takes a while.) 

Once yarn is wrapped all the way around, secure yarn at the back of the wreath with a knot or glue.

Now, you get to design your wreath! We glued pom poms and a white plastic dino to ours. We had to man it up a bit ya know.

 Last, attach ribbon and hang on window or door! Easy peasy!

I got so pumped about this little project I made another wreath for our entryway mirror with hot glue and white feathers!

 I was going to add felt trees, but decided to leave them off.

I gotta say... I love a hot glue gun! It can do so many, many things. What Christmas crafts have you been making lately? xo

Pure and Noble Shop News!

Still looking for that perfect gift? We've added more stuff to the shop!  Go check it out and be sure to check back later this week for a related giveaway! xo

Shop Talk with Nicole Iwawaki

One of the things I love most about blogging is all the cool people you get to meet from around the globe. One of those cool people is Nicole of DeliaJude. She is so sweet, thoughtful and creative. Her Etsy shop is filled with fun stuff that I personally think would look great donning your Christmas packages. So, let's take a look at a few things from her shop while learning a bit more about her.

PN: How long have you had your Etsy shop?

NI: I opened my Etsy Shoppe (http://www.etsy.com/shop/mamaiwawaki) 1 year ago, which is why my etsy shoppe name is not my blog name...it kinda bothers me, but that is a story for another day.

PN: What inspires you?

NI: Inspiration comes in all forms, shapes and sizes for me. From the blogs of fellow crafters, from a quote in a book, from a magazine, from my children, from a hike on the ridge, really the inspiration sources are endless.

PN: How do you find the time to craft/create with two kiddos?

NI: I struggle with finding time to craft and create. I have so many ideas to try out but so little time and space. Currently my "craft room" is the closet in Jude's bedroom and my "craft/sewing table" is the kitchen table. I do have a creative-ish part time job at a certain Paper Store with the catch phrase " Do something Creative Everyday". I guess I just try to squeeze it in whenever I can, although I do like start and finish a project in one go so sometimes I put off the crafting until I have a chunk of time. My daughter, Delia, likes to craft too so you can always find projects in various states in many areas of our home.

PN: What's your favorite item in your shop right now?

NI: The garland of the month club mostly because I love the idea of someone getting a surprise in the mail every month along with 0% credit offers, catalogs, bills and such. A fun surprise to hang up, wrap a gift with, share with a friend or what not. I love making the garlands, love packaging them up all the while thinking about the recipients. They truly are the perfect gift to send someone.

PN: Where do you find your vintage sewing notions?

NI: Most of my notions come from a great thrift store near my folks home in Canada and other thrift stores. Sometimes I am fortunate because people give me their stash. I always have more than I can ever use.

PN: Do your kiddos create/craft with you?

NI: The kids do craft with me...Delia more than Jude but Delia has an "art" area in her room and greats drawings, paintings, and stories every day. Sometimes I want to craft alone because I want to do my own thing at my own pace (selfish I know) and sometimes I want to create with the kids. I think it is important for the kids to have access to good supplies (something I read in Amanda Soule's first book) and I think it is important for the kids to see me create. I also believe that the Creator has made me in His image and therefore I can and do create. Sometimes in the form of a paper craft, sometimes sewing and sometimes in the kitchen with food.

PN: What's their favorite thing to work on?

NI: Jude likes to carve his own stamps and Delia likes to make lip balm, sew little blankets and well, that girl loves any kind of craft available to her.

PN: What's your favorite holiday craft to do either on your own or with your kiddos?

NI: I really enjoy coming up with an idea for holiday cards/family photo and then implementing said idea...often with the help of the kids. Although, this year I am way behind and the ideas are awkward yet plentiful. Hopefully this week we will get it together as the month is marching onward. We did have a fun photo-shoot on Saturday so hopefully the cards will fall into place.

PN: Do you have any special holiday traditions?

NI: Oh, we have so many traditions, from making peppermint bark to decorating a tree to reading Luke before we open gifts on Christmas Day. I think the most important tradition, if you can call it that, is to attempt to have a Christ centered Christmas...not to lose that focus when wrapped up in the whirlwind of holiday activity. I love Christmas...the music, the food, the festivities, friends and the traditions and so on.

Well, there you have it peeps - go shop till you drop! Many thanks to Nicole for this little interview and peek into her crafting world. Nicole, I adore your shop, your blog and YOU most of all. xo

His & Hers

It's Monday dear readers. You know what that means... a little His & Hers action!  Sometimes the hubs and I do random silly things and they get caught on camera. Take a look:

A little silliness goes a long way. Remember, Alli and I are inviting you all to play along. I so look forward to seeing what others are posting today.We'd love to see your His & Hers. Let's face it, we all need a reason to get excited about Mondays - I think this is a pretty fun reason. Don't forget to check out Alli's (Hooray) His & Hers post!

Around the House: Christmas Garage & Estate Sales

'Tis the season to hear the following, "It's better to give than to receive." And while I know this is completely true, it has never had a major impact on me until this past weekend. Here's the background: My sweet husband had the idea of helping some friends in need. We came up with the idea of a garage sale. So, last week we worked our tails off preparing for said sale. Here's the cool part, when we told our friends, they pitched in with tons of donations. When we told our neighbors, they pitched in too! Amazing.

It brought us incredible joy to serve this very deserving family. Saturday we delivered tons of toys, clothes, diapers and lots o' cash. It was probably one of the best Christmas gifts I've ever received. This is pretty much all that was left at the end of the day. Everything that didn't sell got packed up and dropped off at the Salvation Army. Win. Win. Win. Happy Christmas indeed.

On the flip side of giving, I was also able to score some sweet finds at an estate sale that I stumbled upon by the Salvation Army drop off. (See how giving always comes back around? ha ha ha) 

My tree is trimmed with 90% vintage, so finding these goodies at 10 and 25 cents each kind of made my heart skip a beat. I got the jack frost coasters and a ton of snowflakes for only 10 cents! They are sure to adorn some Christmas packages soon or maybe a giveaway package (hint hint).

 OZ peanut butter jar with measuring marks on the side? Why don't they make stuff like this anymore?

vintage Dick and Jane flashcards - I see some art projects in the near future.

How was your weekend? What brought you joy? xo