This is super handy for helping you keep track of what you need at the sto'
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Favorite Thing Under $10
This is super handy for helping you keep track of what you need at the sto'
Friday, December 23, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
A few of my favorite things… and People!
Every year around this time I enjoy hosting some kind of event. Last year I did a cookie swap, remember? This year I wanted to try something a little different. I had read about the idea of a “Favorite Things” (F/T) party on some blogs: The Nester’s. Brooke’s. And Katie’s take. I thought this was the perfect excuse to bring my friends together.
The general gist of the party
• Bring 3 of your favorite items (3 of the same items)
• $6 – $10 price range
• You’ll present your item and give it to three different people. So you’ll end up going home with three different items.
So once I knew that I wanted to try this F/T party, it was time to figure out the invitation. I checked out the normal options (evite, etc.) and couldn’t find anything that was quite right. I came across the site Paperless Post and really liked their options. And this was the end result:
So we had the date. Invitations sent out. What’s next??? The To-Do List & the menu of course!
I had been “pinning” ideas on a board specifically for the F/T party. You can check it out here.
Menu:
Prosciutto Cups | Layered Greek Dip |
Asian Spring Rolls | Jalapeno & Raspberry Jam w/ Cream Cheese |
Caprese Skewers | Bacon & Peach Pinwheels |
Raspberries filled w/ Lemon Curd | Peanut Butter Cup Bark |
White Chocolate Pretzels | Fruity Water |
Trader Joe’s Spiced Cider |
Everything turned out pretty tasty although there were some “challenges.” Alton Brown’s recipe for Lemon Curd didn’t thicken up like it was supposed to. The filling for the prosciutto cups left a little to be desired so we had to doctor it up a bit. And there’s one whole recipe I’ve left off the list because they may have burnt over-cooked. But all in all good stuff!
Of course we weren’t here just for the food… we were here to share our favorite things! And this is where the pictures fall short. I was partying with my girls and didn’t take the opportunity to capture shots of all the favorite things. But I can show you what I got:
Book & muffin mix • Mug with tea • Sam Adams Berry Wheat & Spicy Almonds
There were so many good ideas! We had a total of 16 people so we learned about LOTS of Favorite Things:
Curel Extra Healing Lotion • Scarves • Vanilla Cinnamon Candle • French Press • Key Chain • Ped Egg • Gloves • Post-it Dispenser • Wine • Hand Soap • Snazzy Chocolate Bar •
So all in all – I do believe a Favorite Things Party may be my Favorite kind of Holiday party around!! You’ve got to try it! If you have please tell us about it! Or if you’ve blogged about it leave a link for us to check it out!!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Winter Getaway…
This past weekend Joe and I headed to the far hills of Snowshoe, West Virginia. We had an awesome getaway but as always it’s good to be back home.
Thought I’d share our weekend through pictures…
Ahhhh… what a great time! It’s a bit of a drive but totally worth it.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Joy & Love… or something like it…
We’ve been talking a lot about pictures recently. We talked out my Aunt Uncle and cousin’s pictures, then we saw the shots that Elizabeth took of me and Joe. And today I thought I’d share some shots from a little photo shoot with Julie’s girls.
Thanksgiving weekend the girls came over one afternoon for a little impromptu photo session. Now we obviously don’t have children but I have experienced the impossible task the challenge of getting a photo where everyone is smiling, looking at the camera and seem at least somewhat happy.
But all that being said – we actually got some pretty good shots. Yes there are some where everyone is smiling but they’re even better ones that truly show the girls’ personalities’. Some really fun ones! Julie made the call to go with those “real” ones which made some super fun Christmas cards! Let’s take a look at some of them!
**priceless**
he-larious!
And the final card:
Beautiful precious girls! But can I just say… when did they get so big?!?! Ellie’s wearing one of my hats – can she really be that old? And sweet Emily and those pigtails- be still my heart! I love these girls so much! I can’t wait to see the Christmas card in the mail – a perfect way to say
Merry Christmas!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Banner Holiday!
I wanted to show y’all how I made our banner for our Christmas cards.
Remember these uber cool inspiration pictures:
I really liked this banner idea but couldn’t find one in a store so… what do we do when that happens?!?! We make our own!
So I grabbed some supplies from Michaels:
Letter stickers, tags, and leather string
I applied one sticker per tag. Then cut short strings and tied them with a split knot.
Next I attached each word to a long string – attaching them to their own string
Super simple right!
And just in case you didn’t see some pictures with the banner – here’s how it turned out…
Love this shot! She’s such a kooky girl!! Love her!
Oh and I’m sure this cute little banner will be making into our Christmas décor! Score – double duty!! Merry merry, happy happy, ya’ll!!