Happy Advent!

Today marks the first day of the Advent season!

Advent is not something that I grew up participating in, but last year my hubs and I followed the Advent reading schedule that our church posted.

This year, with it being E's first Christmas, I have been focusing on getting traditions started for our family! Before children it didn't seem so important, but now I am feeling the weight of beginning traditions for our family like my parents did when I was a child.

I wanted to do something fun for Advent, but it seems like everything is geared a bit toward older children and we don't have any of those yet :) I wanted something simple that would mark the days until Christmas and allow us a chance to be intentional about the Advent readings. I found a simple idea on pinterest (don't you just love it?!) and ran with it.

Remember the library card pockets that use to be in the backs of the library books? Well, that's what these are. Rather than buying some, I found a pattern online and made my own!

I wanted to decorate them, so I used to Ellison machine at my campus library to cut out numbers and various Christmasy shapes.

I plan to use twine and clothes pins to string them across my mantle or bookcase. Inside the pockets I will put cards that have the Advent reading on one side and a fun Christmas activity on the other (such as, "Read a Christmas book", "Go to the festival of lights", or "bake sugar cookies"). That's how we will count down the days until Christmas here at our house!
What are your Advent traditions?

getting crafty

So...over my break I had a little bit of time on my hands (not much, mind you, but a little bit).

My sister had asked me make a few things for her friends for Christmas, so most of my crafting time was spent doing that. I did, however, get to do some things that were up to me! Here is a sneak peek at some things that I got to sew over break! I'd love to hear your comments!

These items will be going up in the shop soon too!

Coffee sleeves! These are very different than the ones I have already done, and I am super happy with them!

Wine bottle sleeve! Isn't it adorable?!? I made a few more, but have yet to get them photographed (not to mention this one is by far the cutest one, in my opinion).

So there you have it! I little peek into my crafty time this past week!

happy rainy, dreary, Monday!

So maybe it isn't rainy and dreary where you are, but it has been raining here for what seems like days!

But Happy Monday anyway! :)

With yesterday being a soggy day as well, I spent all day inside and most of the afternoon working on projects! Some are Christmas gifts while others are items for my shop! I'm planning to put them up this afternoon, so be on the look out for some new coffee sleeves, and a brand new item that hasn't made its debut yet!

Also, my mother, who blogs here has been making these amazing flower accessories. If you've seem me, you've probably seen one of them (or more). It started out making headbands for Baby E, and has grown into making flower clips, headbands, and pins/broaches for all of us (meaning my sister and me). In the next day or so her items will also be featured in my shop in the "Myrtlewood Treasures" section. I'll let you know when they are up, but you definitely won't want to miss them--I promise you that!

Its going to be a great and busy Monday here as we get things rolling on new products and new lines! But I've got my Christmas Blend coffee in hand and that makes everything wonderful (thanks, Starbucks)! There's just something about Christmas blend that is heart warming.

Enjoy your morning--where ever you may be and whatever you may be doing!

Happy Monday!

coffee lovers gift

Can I get an "AMEN" or a "HipHipHooray" for coffee?!?

Honestly, I didn't used to like it, but after 6 months in Africa (with no French Vanilla coffee creamer...*gasp*!), a Starbucks manager for a hubby, and joining the motherhood club, I've become one of coffee's biggest fans!

I got a little board with the brown, recycled, cardboard sleeve they give you at the coffee shop, so I created some fun ones of my own! I still use the first one that I made on a regular basis, and now I've got my sister (yep...the one from the previous post) pretty hooked on hers as well.

Well, guess what! I've made some more to share!

Take a look at my shop for more!

Don't see one that strikes your fancy? I'm always up for a custom order, just comment here or email me!

Fashion for Mommas

Here it is ladies! The guest post I promised--from my little sister no less!

Allow me to introduce to you, Miss Rebekah (aka Aunt B in our house)

Rebekah is a Fashion Merchandising major, and will be graduating in May! Among other things, she adores shoes (read her latest blog post), clothes, coffee, Forever21, books, and her niece, :) She graciously accepted my offer (or pestering?) for guest posting on a little bit of fashion for all your mommas out there! Enjoy!

As I sit at my kitchen table watching the cat play in the blinds and listening to the faint sounds of the dishwasher running in the background, I have come to conclusion that Moms are severely underrated. Not only do most of you work nowadays, but you also take care of the kid (or God forbid, kids!). Throw a dog and a husband in there and you’ve got a regular circus. I wonder, when do you Mommas make time for yourself? A lot of you are probably thinking “I don’t have time for that! I work, these kids are driving me up the wall, the dog just peed in the kitchen floor and my husband is yelling at the tv set in the other room as I read this blog!” To you I say: Calm down, deep breath, and read! This article is designed to help moms by taking a look at other moms. And while these mothers may just be characters on television shows, there are valuable lessons real mothers can learn from them today.

June Cleaver- The “Stay at Home” Mother

Who could forget this 1950s mother of two? Taking care of Ward, Wally and the Beav never stopped this TV mom from looking her best. From the ever-present strand of pearls, to the little white gloves, and the kitten heels; June Cleaver made looking good look easy. While dressing up for mundane housework may seem trivial, these days some mothers never make it out of the house. I challenge these moms to Dress Up Anyway! It is amazing what a good outfit can do for your attitude. Instead of lounging all day in those oversized sweats and your husband’s t-shirt that is stained with baby green beans; put on a dress you rarely get to wear or a cute top you just bought. Trust me, even if you’re vacuuming, changing diapers, or chasing multiple children around the house you’re going to feel great!

Carole Brady- The Multiple Children Mother

Jump up a couple decades from June and we arrive in the 1970s. I know what all of you are thinking: “I am NOT wearing bell bottoms and paisley shirts no matter what this article says!” Let me just reassure you that I will never advise you to do that. NEVER! But I will point out a great lesson we can learn from this TV mom. We all know the story: Boy meets girl, boy marries girl, girl gets stuck taking care of her kids and his. Now this may seem like a large task to take on but Carole did it with such style! 3 girls and 3 boys; I get a headache just thinking about living in that house. Not only did Carole Brady take care of the kids when it came to school, chores, food, etc. (with the help of Alice of course) but she also never neglected fashion. She, and her children, always looked good. And here is the lesson we learn from Mrs. Brady: For those of you with multiple children at home, hand-me-downs are not always bad. ‘GASP!’ While each child you may have is a unique individual, your budget may not allow for them to express themselves the way they would like. Don’t just toss clothes at them from their older sibling and say “Here kid” because what would Miss Manners say? Allow them to take their siblings old clothes and recreate them themselves. Not only will this spark your children’s creativity and keep them busy for an afternoon, but you will also save money. I’m not sure if this was ever in an actual Brady Bunch episode, but it definitely should have been!

Lorelai Gilmore- The Single Mother

Again, let’s take a leap from the Brady Era and into the late 90s and early 2000s and we will find the infamous Lorelai Gilmore. While some people may remember this TV mom for her incredible relationship with her daughter, I remember her as the fast-talking, Rhine-stone loving, movie quoting mother I hope to be someday. Lorelai was just 16 when she had Rory (her daughter for those of you who don’t know the show; shame on you!). In light of this, her style is very youthful starting out but slowly develops into a sophisticated wardrobe. And the lesson we can learn from this TV mom is…Single moms can have style too! Just because you don’t have a man around does NOT mean you should let time for yourself fall to the way side. I know it’s hard to raise a child alone, and I sincerely applaud all of you that are. I also know a lot of these same single mothers are in school or working full-time and that doesn’t leave a lot of time for themselves. I encourage you to MAKE TIME. Your kid/kids should absolutely be #1 on that ever present priority list, but that does not mean you should drop off the list altogether. And be frugal about it! Make some cute accessories for yourself, visit a cute consignment shop in your area, or even start a Wardrobe Swap with your friends. If you’re a single mom chances are you know other single moms. Clean out your closets and get together once a month, once a week, or whatever works best and trade clothes. I know it sounds juvenile but as a poor college kid I speak from experience. I can’t tell you how many texts and phone calls I get asking to raid my closet for “lost treasures.” It’s a fun, easy way to collect new pieces for your wardrobe as well as have a girl’s night. Trust me; it’s a win-win!

I hope this article inspires all you mothers out there to take some fashion risks this week no matter what kind of mother you are!

Rebekah Call is a coffee drinking, chocolate loving bookworm disguised as a fashionista who sincerely believes the way to every woman’s heart is through her closet. You can follow her on twitter @notyourcallgirl or on her blog www.callgirldesigns.blogspot.com

Back from break...

...or back for break is more like it!

Yesterday at around 2:00pm I officially began my Thanksgiving break from school! Now, a break isn't what it used to be considering I have a child now, but I am ever -so-thankful for a chance to relax just a little bit.

Let me just say that I have missed the blogging world so much over the past few months, but there simply is not enough time for me to do it all so blogging had to go. BUT I'm back for at least a week, then its crunch time with only 2 weeks until finals...AHH! :)

There is so much to catch up on, but here's what to look for in this space in the coming days...

• A sneak peak at what I've been doing since break started
• Ideas for holiday projects
• A possible post on traditions
• A guest post from my little sis over at CallGirl Designs
• Possibly a WIWW post if I can remember to take pics
• A sample from our family photo shoot a few weeks ago
• and...hopefully some new items that are going to be featured in the shop this coming month!

So keep checking back to see what's new this week! I'm super pumped about getting back into this part of my life over the next few days!

Happy Thursday!