Shout Out to Siddy Girl

My VBFITWWW {very best friend in the whole wide world} is THE creative force behind Siddy Girl. She is very, very talented at graphic design, jewelry design, and handbag design. All her purses/bags are made extremely well and are super durable. Plus, the fabric choices she offers are waaaaaay cute! You can customize your bag the way you like with different fabric choices, trims, strap styles, etc. She is an artist, she makes jewelry, she sews, she's an awesome mom, a really great wife and a totally rad VBFITWWW. Below are the bags that I own. The one tucked away at the back was my first diaper bag. The brown one at the right is my messenger bag that I used to transition out of the diaper bag. Then, I needed a new diaper bag {at left}, and I also have a clutch for the rare occasion when I can go out without the diaper bag.

She throws a trunk show at her home every year before the holidays. She spends months ahead of time making a huge selection of handbags. The presentation is gorgeous. All her beautiful bags and jewelry are surrounded by really cool flea market finds like old suitcases and dress forms. I tried to pull some pictures off the Siddy Girl Facebook page, but they didn't come through. I will try to get some posted so you can see just how lovely it all is.

Carnival Party Prep Time

We're getting ready for the next big event. Our oldest is turning SIX! In her honour we are celebrating with a Carnival Party...games, prizes, balloon animals, face painting, cotton candy, popcorn.......
I was really struggling with a color pallette {I'm not a big fan of primary colors being used all at the same time, which is very common with a Carnival theme}. And, then I suddenly got inspired by a simple accessory for the party.

 The Target $ bin popcorn buckets. Nice and simple. Red & White {and the timing couldn't be better with Valentines Day around the corner}. Then I had trouble with the invitation and went through 3 different designs before I was inspired yet again by the popcorn bucket.



1. The invitation
2. I fell in love with these popcorn cake pops from Bakerella, but am going to do cupcakes with these red & white striped cupcake liners from The Cupcake Social. The "popcorn" on top of the cupcakes will simply be mini marshmallows. You can make them look like popcorn by taking a knife and cutting an X without going all the way through. The "POP" circles will be made into cupcake toppers.
3. Red & white bunting from Oriental Trading Company.
4. Red & White swirly pops also from Oriental Trading Company.

A Mostly Finished December Journal

Now that the Holidays are over and the kids are back in school I can conquer some unfinished projects...like my December Journal. The covers are now done...

 

I used glitter and gems and ribbon, oh my! The inside pages just need photos and journaling now {yeah, that's all!}.

Semi-Baked Goodness

While hard-core baking from scratch is practically a Holiday requirement, it is a relief to come across some delicious, easy to bake recipes {that don't require much baking}. Both of these recipes main ingredient is the mini pretzel. The first one is a Rolo/Pretzel recipe with the following ingredients:
Mini Pretzel Twists
Rolos
Walnuts or Pecan Halves

Here's how you do it:
I found it works best to do two at a time. Place two pretzels with one Rolo on each on wax paper and microwave for 13-17 seconds. Immediately press the Rolo down into the pretzel with the nut of your choice.

After I placed them in a container I thought they needed a little extra something...powdered sugar!

I've also heard of a version of this recipe using yogurt covered pretzels. YUM. Another recipe I found was this one...pretzels dipped in white chocolate from an amazing site filled with pages of inspiration - One Charming Party.

Fun with Pipe Cleaners

These were so easy to make and they turned out so darn cute. Since it has been raining here longer than we are used to we have been logging in a lot of movie time. These pipe cleaner/chenille stem initials were made during a Shrek marathon. Just twist two colors together and shape into the letters you desire. We will be using these for the Christmas dinner table setting somehow...not too sure, yet.

Handmade Gifts

This year we made Mint Chocolate Hot Cocoa mix for our neighbors. The bottom of the jar is filled with the cocoa mix and topped with mini chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. It has been taste tested and approved with big smiles.

The decorative elements on top are textured red cardstock punched out with a 2" round scallop punch and the peppermint stickers are envelope seals from the dollar bin {I think there are something like 100 per package}.
The labels were designed and set up on 8.5x11, printed on Avery 8.5x11 full sticker sheets and punched out with a 3" round punch.

And, finally, they are sitting in this cute little collapseable picnic basket waiting to be delivered...when the rain lets up.

Doheney in December

We like to go camping. And, although I prefer the summer months for this past time, we go every year in December. We usually go to San Elijo or Carlsbad State Beach, but this year was my first time camping in Doheny. There was a huge group of us, and since my cousins and aunt were going to be there we just turned it into our Christmas celebration. We had six sites all together, right on the beach. We also had excellent weather. My favorite kind of winter weather around here - sunny and crisp. Someone brought gingerbread houses & cookies for the kids to decorate {there were 9 little kiddos running around between the ages of 2-6}. Because this was my first time camping at Doheny, and my Mr. had not been since he was a kid, and the camping fees seem like they've doubled since the summer {astronomical!} I thought our site had hook-ups. We got there when it was dark and I hopped out of the trailer with an extension cord in hand ready to plug in. None of the sites at Doheny have hook-ups. I decided instantly that I was going to have a terrible time and my mood was in the dumps {likewise for my Mr.}. But, our girls were having a blast in our dimly-lit, slightly drafty Tin Can of a Trailer and my mood changed instantly. The other campers started to arrive, we lit a fire and good times were had. I was able to capture a couple of scenic shots of our cutie-buns on the sand berm. Beautiful!

I was trying to get this gorgeous shot of our *little love* standing with hundreds of birds flying overhead...and then she sat down.

This is why I was looking for hook-ups. Our Tin Can Trailer is a little bit old and I enjoy modern camping with luxuries like electricity {and occasionally being able to turn the space heater on and off throughout the night}.