Holiday Party Planning- Ideas and Inspiration

Here's some images for inspiration! plenty of ideas to get you thinking!

and if you weren't planning on having a party before Christmas maybe now you will. :)

 I saw some photos of a cookie exchange and was like ok..we are doing one of those this year!!! hehe. any party with a lot of cookies sounds good to me. details on that planning process soon!

image via 

image via 

 image via 

DIY PEPPERMINT PLATTERS

click here for the template to create these! print and stick!

Love the toasty details at this party! any party that involves marshmallows.... i'm there. ;)

this was a marshmallow roast and red wine toast! they had just moved into their new home.

 love the idea. a great way to use your fire pit or fire place during the chilly christmas time!

click here for the details!

Some sweet treat ideas found on party frosting

My Holiday Printable Collection is coming soon! My parents were visiting over Thanksgiving and my mom and i have been busy with sewing! my husband bought me a sewing machine for christmas over black friday. The sales at Joann's were crazy! so impressed. we went again on sunday hehe. 

My mom gave me a crash course in sewing while she was still here...i made a pillowcase. because she was leaving today though, we were up till 2 am!! so, feeling a bit exhausted but very domesticated. ;)

be prepared to be in awe of my sewing skills. haha. hey gotta start somewhere! :) right now i'm working on a mama-daughter christmas-y apron. so fun!

Handmade for the Holiday: Ruffle Butt Onesie Tutorial

every baby girl you know needs a good ruffle butt onesie! ;)

and here's how to  make one..

Just came across this blog and i LOVE it! she has some fabulous tutorials.

visit 'Crap I've Made' 

Photo/Video Recap & What I'm doing with my leftover turkey.

Hope you all had a great day! My parents were in town along with my little brother (the rest of the fam was back home in atlanta!) We also had an old family friend join us. he's engaged to an amazing photographer. click here to check her out!  (gotta love tiny plugs. hehe.)

started the day with church to thank God for all of our blessings! 

sophia was a big fan of the icing on the donuts after mass.

My mom and i happily slaved away in the kitchen while the boys watched football, played madden, and took care of the babies. their multi-tasking was very impressive.

after dinner we played an intense cut-throat game of monopoly with trash talking in full swing. 

ahh traditions. love em.

how we all felt after dinner. (note the steelers onesie.)

sienna also decided that she was going to roll over..and over..and over... 

no stopping this baby now! she is ready to play with her sister! 

and because they are so stinkin cute here's a couple more videos from the week...
ok......a few more than a few but i couldn't pick just one! ;)

AND NOW, WHAT YOU REALLY 

CLICKED THIS POST FOR.... 

a recipe for all your leftover turkey!

this is what i'm making for lunch later this week.... mmm. yummy.

recipe via the delicious Cordon Pink

Happy Thanksgiving.

happy thanksgiving!
hope you have a beautiful day!
i'm thankful to God...
for my wonderful family.. they are such a blessing to me.
for all those who keep us safe and for the sacrifices made by them and their families.
for the little obstacles/difficulties this year that have helped me grow in patience and love.
for friends and family that are near and far. i love you!

we have company over the weekend so i'll be a bit absent the next few days.

But check back soon...i will be sharing my Christmas Printables!

Black Friday: The Scoop

Alright ladies! some of you might really get into the crazines of black friday..others may not. 

Here's a list of ads that have been put out by some of the retailers so you can have some sort of a game plan... :)
favorite store of mine...h&m...is going to have some great sales.

Feeling overwhelmed?   


click here to visit an awesome site full of buying guides!

happy bargain shopping. 

and be sure to check the listings throughout the week to

 get more details on the deals.

are you braving the bargain hungry shoppers that have packed canteens of red bull in their backpacks or are you an online shopping girl??

Handmade for the Holidays: A Quiet Book

From now till Christmas i'm going to be featuring fabulous 

handmade gift ideas from fellow bloggers! 

So many creative ideas...i really think giving something homemade 

(or semi-homemade!!) is a great way to give something from the heart! 

so for all you creative people.. you are going to love this new feature! 

I hope to get you inspired and introduce you to some amazing bloggers!

A QUIET BOOK

created by...

 

She also has lots and lots of patterns for you! love her.

I think this would be such a sweet gift for any little one. just looking at this makes me want to create one and personalize it for sienna. this is a must on my to-craft list. :)

Kid Friendly Thanksgiving: Table decor, Crafts, Recipes & more!

Here's some of my top picks for keeping
 this Thanksgiving special, kid-friendly and fun!
I found lots of ideas for projects you can do together to prepare for Thanksgiving Day! I don't know about you but my sophia is all about being mama's little helper.. so have your little ones chip in with baking and creating their little kid table! having activities for them to do at the kid table during Thanksgiving Dinner will give you more time to eat without a child in your lap. :)
but the baby in the lap is inevitable so.. choose wisely and eat fast. 
might as well go straight for the pie. ;)

top row: cute kid table via one charming party, a whimsical table setting via martha stewart

bottom row: smiley radishes via martha stewart, crafty table setting via fiskars


I love all of the details put into these kid tables! 
perfect to keep the kids happy and busy....so you can eat and talk. :)
images via one charming party

images via fiskars

  

pilgrim hats via hubpages

turkey pops via bakerella

:

cereal box turkeys via plum pudding

pumpkin pie spinner via parents.coms

paper plate turkeys via meet the dubiens

give thanks blocks via crafts.kaboose


Be sure to check back later this weekend for my round up of more thanksgiving ideas!

DIY Thanksgiving Printables/Ideas for the Hostess

I wanted to create pretty diy touches to use for 

our Thanksgiving Celebration! 

All of these are affordable and easy.... all I needed was card stock paper!

Its little things like this that can really pull your table together and add a little sophisticated touch.

This is what we are doing this year...if you are interested in these fun DIY projects, I have the collection up in my Etsy Shop: Pretty Paperie. click here to check it out!

i thought it would be gorgeous to have a votive at each place setting and use them as place cards and the favor! it would add a lovely soft glow to my table.

tented cards can be used as place cards or menu labels.

ps. i found these lovely gold chargers at target for just  $5 a pack! (they also had silver)

circle labels can be used as cupcake toppers or as little touches around your table/room.

 i loved the "eat. drink. give thanks." attached to a green ribbon around each napkin.

gives the table a uniform look.

a "give thanks" banner can be put up wherever you want! 

under the mantle, around some frames or across the buffet table full of food!

 

I love the idea of the menu because so many times there are classic recipes you always make and it looks so pretty all written up together. a little keepsake to remember your good times and good food with family. you could even list on here what was made by each family member.

Hosting Thanksgiving this year?? don't stress! use these little diy projects to get your decor going. 

You can create the graphics on your computer or if you are feeling too busy let me take that stress away and get the whole collection in my shop! done and done.

THANKSGIVING PRINTABLES COLLECTION INCLUDES:
tented cards -4 styles, blank
place cards-4 styles, blank
circle labels
menu- blank
give thanks banner

cost: $15

click here for more details.

This collection is left blank

(gives you endless options of how and when  to use them)

 but they can be customized for a fee with script or basic font.

Not hosting this year? (alleluia ;) hehe jk. 

why not bring the hostess a little gift to thank her for filling her house with smoke from the turkey and you not filling yours! not that i have experience with smoke in my kitchen......::ahem::.

Thanksgiving Cupcake Toppers- $6 bucks well spent.

You know how i love my cupcakes. these cuties need a post all their own. 

so stop on over to my etsy shop and grab up these toppers...only 6 bucks! 

Perfect to jazz up a dessert you are bringing to thanksgiving week festivities!

(i usually e-mail them to be cut out..but if you have a circle punch let me know and i can put the circle graphic in the middle of a square of color for easy punching. :)

as i was taking these photos...i let sophia have a cupcake. 

a firm "only one" was said.

she proceeded to lick the icing off and put it back into the container.....

 lovely.

another funny sophia moment today....

we were leaving the library (they have great kid programs there!) 

but it was raining...

and as i carried sienna in her car seat and my purse and held sophie's hand...

my genius two year old told me............. "we need an umbrella."

the running commentary is awesome. just awesome. haha.