My "Go-to" Christmas Gift This Year...

I tend find a "go-to" gift each year that I like to give as Christmas gifts.

Last year, my "go-to" gifts were Scentsy candle warmers.

I absolutely love these things! I have several in my house and they are frequently on.

If you don't have one of these, I'd highly recommend trying one.

Find a consultant in your area at www.scentsy.net

{My favorite scents: Hemingway, Cinnamon Bear, Welcome Home, & Olive Wood & Cypress.}

Anyway, my "go-to" gift this year comes from a local shop that has now been seen all over the country!

The Vintage Pearl.

They have many items that are already put together, or you can create your own custom necklace or bracelet.

And layer it up as much as you want.

They are all made in the shop and hand stamped.

Here are just a few of the necklaces that I have so far.

I've got some custom orders coming in within the next week and am excited to hand them out for Christmas!

A little teacher gift....

Go check out their website and their blog!

Great personalized gifts!

{Note: Christmas orders at The Vintage Pearl do have to be in by Dec 3!)

A&J

Glittery Stuff....

After watching Miss Mustard Seed's glitter tutorial, I knew I had to try out the German glass glitter she talked about. 

I happened to find a small bottle of light blue German glass glitter at a local shop and snatched it up. When I got home I did a little glitter comparison. I had on hand some glitter paint, regular glitter, and my new glass glitter. OH MY GOODNESS..... the glass glitter is amazing!!!

The beauty of it is truly something you have to see in person. It simply catches the light in the most perfect way. And have you ever touched something with regular glitter only to have glitter all over you for the rest of the day?? This glitter does not do that.

The only drawback... it can be a little pricey. {Although I think it's well worth the extra you pay for it}

I just received a few ounces of silver that I had ordered

and I've got a slew of things that I'm ready to create with it!
Here are a few little things I've made so far....

 

So pretty! LOVE this stuff....
And just in time for decorating for Christmas!

A&J

Music Sheet Bows

While I had the music sheets and hot glue out I figured I'd try to make some of these bows for my upcoming Christmas wrapping. I've seen them made with old book pages and even old magazines.

I know there's many different ways to make bows like this, but here's a quick tutorial of how I made mine:

First cut some 3/4 inch strips from some sheet music.

You will need:

3 ~ 8.5 inch strips, 3 ~ 7 inch strips & 1 3 inch strip.

I twisted them around to make these shapes and hot glued them into place.

{note: you could also use double stick tape, glue dots, staples or whatever you have on hand}

Start assembling by taking the 3 larger ones and gluing them into a shape like this:

Continue with the second row and then the 1 smaller loop in the middle.

I chose some simple kraft brown paper and some twine to go with my bow.

And there you have it, simple and unique wrapping for the holidays or any occasion!

A&J

Music Sheet Christmas Tree Tutorial

Today I made one of these cute little music sheet trees.

Here's a little tutorial to make one of your very own.

It's very simple really.....

What you will need is a styrofoam cone, some sheet music, scissors and a hot glue gun.

 

First off, I cut the music in 2 inch strips.

 Then took the strips and curled them a bit. 

{I used the end of a wooden spoon and that seemed to work well}

Then I cut slits all alog the bottom about halfway up.

Take these pieces and hot glue them around the cone.

One row at a time.

Keep going till you get to the top!

It's really that easy....

Although I think it may need something at the top.
I haven't thought of anything yet.
What do you think?
Any ideas??

Need some free sheet music for the project??
I have a page here you can download and print (8.5x11).
It looks best on some sort of antique or ivory finish paper to make it look a little vintage. Enjoy!

Linked up at Funky Junk's SNS
and at Tatertots and Jello Weekend Wrap Up Party
and Under The Table and Dreaming Sunday Showcase Party.

A&J

50's style party

Every year my daughter's school finds a neat way around letting the kids dress up as anything scary for their Halloween party.  I love the effort her little school goes through to make such fun experiences for the kids.   Even though I wind up buying two costumes because she's usually already chosen and had me order something else before we find out the school's theme....I have to admit I didn't mind one bit this year because this year they declared.... 50's style.  How FUN!!  Of course we had to order this cute poodle skirt from Etsy. And these over sized glasses from Party America or whatever their latest name is.

The party lasted all day with different activities throughout the day.  They did everything from face painting, to playing games and working on crafts that was to be used for their big surprise finale.  The finale and the highlight of the day was a surprise drive in movie.  They turned their entire classroom into one big drive in movie and watched Toy Story 3.  They made the cutest cars out of card board boxes, complete with snack trays, and their own personalized licensed plates and their own drivers license. 

The kids enjoyed movie popcorn and snacks that they kept in their snack trays attached to the side of their cars.  So cute and creative.

 The kids thoroughly enjoyed this as well as the parents.  My wheels are already spinning on how to incorporate this fun idea into a future birthday party, or even just a fun backyard drive in summer movie night.  :)

A&J

A Bit of Fall Decor

Gosh, I've been so busy lately that it's already the middle of October and I'm just now starting to pull out fall decorations!

I love looking at others blogs and how they've decorated for the season. So here's a peek into mine. I decided not to go overboard on all the fall foliage this year and just make it pretty simple. Just a few touches of fall here and there......

Centerpiece on my kitchen table.

And finally a shot of the fireplace mantel.
{I'm loving the white pumpkins mixed with all the orange this year}

Pretty simple this year, but I really like it!

A&J

My favorite birthday gift to give and get

My all time favorite go to gift idea right now is cute Pj's and a good book.  I not only love giving this as a gift, But I also love when the girls get it as well.  Parent's appreciate this gift so much because it's not just another toy that's quickly put aside after 5 minutes of play.  What's more fun than to snuggle up in some cute pj's and read a good book together.  I've given this exact gift so many times.

One set of Fancy Nancy PJ's 

Paired with the Fancy Nancy Pajama Day book.....

And Voila!  The most fabulous (which is a fancy word for great) most appreciated birthday gift ever. Occasionally I've found a cute sleep mask or some cute fluffy slippers to throw in as well.

The best thing about this idea is that it is such a versitile idea.  For a recent boys gift I found How to Train Your Dragon Pj's and paired it with a How to Train Your dragon book. For this gift I had also found a wooden sword and shield set that I put with it.  Talk about one happy little boy!  He loved it. 

A&J

Gift Idea for the Busy Mom

I spend countless hours trying to find just the right gifts for friends and family.  I find great joy in giving the perfect gift.  Doesn't have to cost a ton, it just has to match the person's personality as well as their needs at the time.  I recently struggled with a gift for a very close friend of mine because I wanted it to be even more than perfect.  She's going through a lot just losing her mother and now is having to take care of her father who is very sick.  With two young girls of her own, she's basically keeping up two households. So, with all that said, I came up with this.

This adorable apron found here.

 a popular slow cooker cookbook found anywhere and everywhere.

and since another good friend went in with me, we also had the budget for an awesome crockpot as well so she could whip up tasty meals and leave at her dads. 

I had envisioned opening the box and putting the apron, and cookbook in it with a couple of wooden spoons, but timing wise, it just didn't work out.  The gift was a hit regardless. 

A&J