felt advent calendar wreath

I have an uber-talented friend, Lesley, who is constantly surprising me with her creativity. She's a graphic designer extraordinaire, as well as a skilled seamstress. Yes, I said seamstress - a skill I hold high regard for. (My sewing usually ends up with me just hot gluing the pieces together!!!) While picking up our kids from school yesterday, we started talking about advent calendars. Our conversation reminded of me of the advent calendar she made last year. I love how it involves the kids without giving them something everyday. We all know the kids receive plenty during the holiday season, so an activity they like to do without "getting" is an extra bonus in my book.

Check out Lesley's creation and how-to here. And here for an extra little Christmas morning detail to the already perfect calendar.  Make sure to check out the rest of Lesley's blog, too. I'm sure you'll be amazed at all her skill and creativity. (Like the these bicycle cuffs - Come on! So cute!)

fruit turkey

My youngest daughter's preschool is having an all-school Thanksgiving Feast celebration tomorrow and everyone brings something to share. We are bringing this cute (and easy!) fruit turkey. Several years ago (Nov. 2007), I torn this idea out of a Family Fun magazine. A reader, a fellow Connecticut resident, submitted the idea - so clever!

The instructions included in the magazine...
"Stabilize the melon body by cutting a shallow slice off the rind to form a flat base. Using a section of bamboo skewer, attach a Bosc pear head to the melon, as shown. Cut a cheese triangle beak and red pepper snood. Attach both, along with raisin eyes, to the head with sections of toothpick. Cut red pepper feet and set them in places. For tail feathers, skewer cheese cubes and red grapes, then insert the skewers as shown. Pin pepper side feathers in place with toothpicks."

why didn't i think of that series :: stamped cookies

As we move into the holiday season, my oven will be doing overtime for Christmas goodies. Look at this genius idea - Why didn't I think of that!? I'm going to have to try this.

 (via Country Living via Pinterest)

While talking about stamping things... remember my tutorial on stamping plates? How about a pretty Christmas tree stamp for Christmas dinner?

laurel denise planner

I just have to share the latest gift I bought myself. I'm a list freak - I think you all know that by now. I write everything down. Everything. I don't think my brain even works if there isn't a pen in my hand. I also plan and schedule to a fault - calendars are my friends. My days are organized (some argue over organized, but I say poo on them). So, you can imagine that a well-organized and extremely thoughtful planner makes my heart flutter. While attending the National Stationery Show in May, I found the Laurel Denise Planner. It's amazing people - Amazing! I wanted to buy one right then and there, but she was all sold out for 2011. After all these months of waiting, I ordered myself one last week.

Beyond the monthly calendar view (which is my favorite way to organize), this planner includes a weekly and daily format conducive to list making.  But the best part of all.... you can see them all at once!!! No more flipping pages from the overall month, back to the week of and then having to turn again to the daily outlook. So, if your in the market for a planner, you have to check this one out. Obviously the pictures on the link will be better than my quick iPhone pics. You'll be able to see the beauty and function much better. Go, go on and check it out - you won't be disappointed.

pirate ship dessert table

As I've mentioned, I made the dessert table for a large Halloween party this past weekend. All the children in attendance were invited to participate in a "treasure hunt".  They were given a treasure map  with various stops throughout the house where they either received a prize or participated in an activity (ie decorated cupcakes, painted a pumpkin, etc.). The "treasure" at the end of their journey was the dessert table. (A sugar treasure - ahhh, the best kind of treasure!) Keeping with the theme, I decided to make the table a pirate ship. I really liked how this table turned out. I love the whimsy of it - I'm still a kid I guess.

The desserts included:

-pumpkin mousse cups

-shortbread finger cookies

-smore pops

-"cannon balls" (donut holes)

-skeleton suckers 

-red velvet cake pops

-caramel pumpkin bites with dulce de leche drizzle

-graveyard pudding

-jello worm cups

-caramel apples

-popcorn hands

halloween candy bar

This is the candy bar I put together for a big Halloween party this past Sunday. Aren't the bats cool!? I found them at Target for ten bucks! They are wall clings that I will be able to use for this client over and over. (I decorate their house every year for Halloween.)

I'll be back tomorrow with the pirate ship dessert table I made for the party. It was awesome!

halloween costumes

I hope everyone had a great Halloween! I'm sure you all are swimming in candy too - I'm nibbling on a Kit Kat right now. (Shhhh, don't tell my kids I raided their buckets!)

This year Ella was the Chiquita Banana girl (and/or Carmen Miranda which many thought she was) and Bree was the Coppertone Girl. I usually don't use the same costumes because it's just so much fun to think of new ones, but the Coppertone costume was just too good to not repeat. I have to thank my mother-in-law for making Ella's dress. (As I've told you all before, sewing is a domestic skill I will never conquer - I call in the pros.) The headdress was a lot of fun to make. I used ostrich feathers and plastic fruit in an effort to keep the overall weight down. I love how it all came together.