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!

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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!

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

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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

Weekly Challenge: Pamper Myself

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Due to my upcoming birthday, I thought i'd take this week to pamper myself. You know, a little something everyday just for me.  Here's the breakdown:

Long showers
Shaved legs
Haircut
Glass of wine
Organize and clean my sewing room (more of a mental pampering)

Boom!  That's it. I had every intention of painting my nails and toenails. Curling up with a book and a nice hot cup of tea, etc. But this week is crazy busy for us and there are many things that are just more important than me being pampered. Sometimes challenges don't get fully accomplished and that's ok. There's always next week.

How do you fare when your challenges go unmet? Are you hard on yourself or do you rest in the fresh starts that each new day brings with it? Have a lovely weekend friends! xo

Coup de Coeur Tag

My sweet friend Louise (see her lovely home here) tagged me a few weeks ago on her super fun blog. (Yes, it has taken me this long to respond!) It's a coup de coeur tag. I have to be honest, I took 2 years of French and needed to ask Louise what it meant. She politely and without judgement of my French said, "it literally means hit to the heart." So, without further adieu, here are 10 things that "hit my heart."

Lovely things - color, texture, design. They inspire me. There are a few that get it right - every time.

Anthropologie

window display

Orla Keily

Marni - fabulously quirky with amazing color palettes

color

Kate Spade - not so much her products, but her ads and store designs - amazing!

Lotta Jansdotter

softies

J Crew

yummm

Kate Moss - her style, not her actions

Steve McQueen - the dude had style (hey if I was to mention a girl, I had to name a guy too!)

Fall - I know it's a season, but everything is so right: color, texture, lighting...

Lauren Moffatt

What makes your heart go pitter patter? xo

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Cardboard Boxes

help

With the holidays just around the corner, you're sure to end up with a ton of boxes. Here's a few ideas for them before the make their way to the recycle bin:

rocket

animal house/zoo

kitchen

drawers (for all those little trinkets)

oven

This one's a favorite for all you cereal lovers out there (like my family). Cut the tops off the boxes, wrap them and add ribbon handles. Done! Click the link below for a tutorial!

"bags"

How will you recycle your holiday boxes? xo