Set the Scene: Balls of Inspiration

I love Valentines Day. There, I've said it. I don't know why it's a favorite. Maybe because it's based around telling people you love them, and there is paper and crafting involved. And of course candy and chocolate. What's not to love? 

I've heard the arguments against it.  It's commercial, we should tell one another we love them all the time, it was created by corporations, etc. All right, sure. But do we tell one another how much we care all the time? Does it hurt us to take a moment to tell our friends, our parents, our kids, our husbands & wives just how much they mean to us? 

In the spirit of embracing the holiday completely I thew these little decorations together. Can I just say that these glass balls have been so handy? They are so fun to fill with glitter, candy, whatever you can come up with really. I did have to be careful about just how much candy to fill them with as they became so heavy they pulled on the caps. I added some neon twine, a little message, and voila. A little Valentine love. 

Where do you fall on the Valentine argument? Do you celebrate? 

Deep Thoughts: Sparkle & Grow

Our New Year's Eve consisted of a Plan B after scrapping plans of attending a super fun party in town that would included a disco barn & fireworks. But after realizing that we weren't up to that due to recent illness we made our own fun that included pipe-cleaner crowns, confetti, champagne & a photo shoot! 

I spent some of the Christmas season mourning that my girls were no longer "my babies" and that Christmas had maybe lost some of that magic it had when they were younger. I spent some time trying to recreate some of that magic in various ways for them and me…an advent calendar, balloons on Christmas morning, things like that. But what I really learned was they are magic.  They are magic now. They are amazing. They like making things with me. Like any teenager they love a good photo shoot! And they could spend hours throwing confetti at one another and me! 

So I am celebrating. Not just a New Year and the fresh, delicious start it brings. But I am celebrating my teenage girls. My crazy-making, lovely, smart, creative girls. I look forward to a year of playing with them. Observing them & helping the.  And simply loving on them.

Set the Scene: Christmas Mantel

Some Christmas decorating has been going down around here, and from the photo you can probably tell that what I really need this year is some more work with the camera. But what I am asking for is more along the lines of something from Kate Spade! But that is off the subject. I have fallen in love with honeycomb. I think it started with the huge balls that Carly and I found for Halloween. There is just something nostalgic and fun and happy about them! So I found a few and tacked them up to look like large ornaments on the wall. This is phase one as I just can't stop messing with things. More to come...

Set the Scene: If we were hosting Thanksgiving

This year we will be spending Thanksgiving at my sister & brother-in-laws place. And the menu is sounding a little relaxed and fun. Turkey pot pies, roasted veggies and salads. But I was getting a view of what our table would look like if we were hosting. And frankly it's been too long since I pulled the "good stuff" out of cupboards! 

So I went ahead and set a table. I like a mix of natural and sparkle, just like the mantle and went from there. The "placemats" are actually fun papers from my favorite paper place Spruce. I have tablecloths but they really aren't my thing. The place settings are just some paper tags, gold twine and rosemary. I did the initial by placing a letter sticker on the tag, painting lightly over it, then peeled the sticker off! 

Then I just scattered some filler paper that I will show soon how to make (I use it all the time!), pumpkins, the pinecones from the pinecone garden (yes, I took it apart), white pumpkins, and some rosemary that grows like crazy in the yard. 

It made me realize that we need to host a dinner soon to get all this fun stuff out and use it. The only reason to have it is to use it. The girls may find themselves eating takeout pizza on it and drinking root beer out of crystal! But it will be worth it! Are you hosting this year? 

Field Trip: Theo Chocolate Factory Tour

This past Veteran's Day Steve planned a family activity that made us all happy. A tour of the Theo Chocolate factory. It's something that he has been wanting to do for a long time. As a Plant manager of a peanut butter plant, and a major chocolate lover, this field trip worked for him on so many levels. And well, us girls loved the chocolate. 

I love a factory tour. It makes me remember the little films they would show on Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, or the show Unwrapped. And this one was pretty cool. They do everything, from roasting the beans to preparing  the add-in's like coconut and nuts. And there is a special room where they enrobe caramels and other special chocolates. I wanted to just park myself there and make friends but we had to move on. 

I did mention the samples right? They are not stingy. And then there is a store at the end of the tour where we spent plenty of time picking out treats including seasonal ones. We may have to make one more visit before Christmas, as someone who will remain nameless has already scarfed them up (Steve!). And we will be sure to value these chocolates a lot more after seeing what goes into them. Are you a chocolate lover? I encourage you to check out a tour here. Reservations are highly recommended. 

Set The Scene: Christmas Advent

I know, it feels early to be talking Christmas. But there are just some things that take planning, and an Advent calendar is one of them. My lovely friend Carly has re-stocked her Etsy shop with her clip frames that I love year round for use as inspiration boards & photo boards. But at Christmas time they are perfect for Advent, especially with her free PDF forms.

I've set up a little corner in our kitchen with the frame and the related activities. Of course it looks colorful and crazy, a bit like our family. Activities include watching our favorite movies, paying for the coffees of people behind us in line, eating holiday chocolate, etc. It was a good exercise with the family deciding what to include!

Here is the overall look of it which makes me happy and very excited about the Christmas season. You should go and check out Carly's set-ups which are very elegant and lovely, much like her. You will find them here, along with her PDF's and the link to her store! I invite you to check it out! 

Make it: Pinecone Garland

My daughter Samantha and I are what you would call impatient crafters. We are the type that are a bit down and dirty. If we can't have quick results, as in pretty right away we aren't really interested. So, this craft was for us.

 A group of pinecones, some gold & silver paint for some gilding, some twine, a bit of hardware in the way of little o-ring thingies, and we were in business. I like the combination of earthy and gilded. They easily compliment the pumpkins and the rest of the mantle. And I think they will be re-imagined as gift toppers at Christmas! Bonus!