Cheers from Australia, sweet friends!

Welcome to our little space on the web, we are so happy to have you here! I want to start off by thanking sweet Annie from Zevyjoy for inviting me to participate in this lovely Easter blog hop. If you know Annie you already know just how wonderful she is and how amazing her blog is as well! If this is your first time meeting, I promise you, you will be so smitten with her blog and everything she creates, so make sure to stop on over there and say hello!

Easter will be a bit different for us this year since we will be returning from Australia on Easter evening. We will celebrate some here and then again at home which isn’t so bad considering how much we love the holiday!

Easter is such a wonderful time of year, a time to celebrate our Savior, reflect, rejoice, and refresh. It is also a time filled with so many beautiful memories of colorful eggs, bunnies, baskets of chocolate goodies and exciting egg hunts.

One of my favorite childhood memories around Easter was going over to my grandparents house in Texas. An annual tradition there was to craft pretty, colorful, sequin and velvet eggs with family that hung from the ceiling on dainty, winding ribbon to decorate their house with. Crafting with the ones I loved has always been a favorite memory of mine and it is definitely something that I love doing with my daughters today.

So now that I described that wonderful, luxurious, Easter craft I want to share with you the craft we created for this blog hop. It is completely opposite in the fact that it is so simple and very carefree! Haha! This craft literally took us ten minutes to make but the girls’ had so much fun creating them. On that note, let me introduce you to our Easter fairytale mushrooms! 🙂
Since we have been in Australia these past few weeks we have been super busy, so I knew we needed something simple and accessible as far as ingredients for the craft went. All this took were some plastic eggs, gathered sticks from the yard, borrowed nail polish from auntie and some tape. Wahla, easy peasy!

*Note, if we would have been at home I would have used hot glue instead of tape. 😉

Simply separate the Easter eggs, paint some spots on each half with your nail polish brush and let dry. Once dry, grab some tape or glue and adhere your stick aka stem to the inside of the egg aka fairy mushroom cap. And presto, you have your very own fairy mushrooms! 😉  These fairy mushrooms make adorable photo props, egg hunt decor or can be used in a fairy garden outdoors for play. Just another way to add some whimsy to your holiday, and you know how we adore whimsy over here!

The girls’ precious necklaces were handmade for them by Hooray Everyday. They were the perfect accessory to their darling Easter outfits. The dress, shoe, necklace combo was almost too cute to handle! And they would make such adorable basket stuffers, too!

Speaking of Easter basket stuffers, these darling hand crafted stuffed bunnies from Cuddle and Kind stole my heart when they arrived! I CANNOT wait to see the girls’ faces when they see them Easter Sunday! Aren’t they the sweetest?!

I hope you all have the best Easter ever, and that you enjoy some down time making memories, be it a craft or a conversation, with the ones you love most.

For more Easter craft inspiration make sure to check out the other incredible bloggers on this tour. Enjoy!

xoxooo•

Susan

Kid’s Easter Table by Summer Adams

How To Dye Eggs With Food Coloring by TIDBITS | Easter Wreath by Shades of Blue Interiors | Easter Egg Decorating Idea – Mini Floral Bunny Ears by A Burst of Beautiful | DIY Easter Sign – Hello Peeps by My Sweet Savannah

DIY Bunny Napkin Rings by Craftberry Bush | A Kindred Easter with Kindred Vintage & Co. | DIY Metallic Easter Eggs with Maison de Pax | Spring Garden DIY Easter Centerpiece by Elliven Studio

Bunny Ears Bags and Free Printable by Ella Claire | Free Printable Easter Cards by Boxwood Avenue | Simple Modern Easter Tablescape by Cherished Bliss | DIY Vintage ‘Happy Easter’ Eggs by So Much Better With Age

Printable Watercolor Easter Banner by Nina Hendrick Design Co. | DIY Bunny Garden Easter Basket by Zevy Joy | Easter Cake – Paleo Coconut Pineapple Cake with Topper by Nesting With Grace | Moss Wrapped Candle by Design, Dining and Diapers

Good Morning Beauties!

I must say I am so very happy you’re visiting my little space on the web for today’s post! I am just going to add in this disclaimer, I admit I have been in a tiny funk lately. Maybe it’s the weather, maybe it’s for personal reasons, or perhaps it’s just because, but good news, today’s post zapped me right out of it! 🙂

Aside from the fact that I haven’t seen sunshine or felt warm UV rays on my skin in WEEKS, I managed to put on my party pants and throw a little “Welcome February & Valentine’s Day” party for our sweet girls! And it filled my heart with joy!

January and February are hard months here in Illinois since the sun hides and the grey gloom grows. However, in our household besides the fact that there’s a special Holiday in February which we all know and love, it’s also the month that my husband and I welcomed both our angels into this world! At just two years and ten days apart, this month is definitely one to celebrate!

So I hung these precious garlands from Pearl and Jane as soon as they arrived and I was already feeling the warmth of the fun month ahead. I then beought up this vintage story book table from our basement and paired it with these darling
metal bucket chairs from Target and I was smitten with the combo. Old meets new gets me every time.

Afterwards, I grabbed our treasured Deannart painting from its spot on our wall and added it to the mantel because, well, I couldn’t resist! It was the icing on the cake for the cuddly and cozy party setting my two angel babies would soon enjoy.

Live Sweet shop always has the cutest accessories so as soon as I laid eyes on these yummy donuts and this sparkly Love pillow I knew they needed to be ours.

Same with this beautiful, LIFE IS BEAUTY-FULL, pillow that will soon be added to our NEW and IMPROVED Painted Fox curated collection! (I know, I know, Eeeek- so excited to say the least, more details to come!!)

Okay, now some more deets on this simple and sweet “Valentine’s Day-Welcome pretty February” party…

It was quite easy really. I added some pink, gold and white decor, set some tunes, lit the fire & candles then called the sweeties in for a scoop of ice cream and sprinkles. For the record, I had them at ice cream and sprinkles. 😉

They had a blast pretending to be out to lunch, pouring their drinks and adding way too many candy treats to their sugary dessert. 🙂 The best part, the sound of their sweet giggles and belly laughs. It was simple. It was memorable. It was perfect.

The mood of the afternoon party, was charming and cozy and I had the best time watching these two loves of my life interact and make-believe amongst each other. (yes, I know, it looks like it’s evening but indeed it’s 1:00pm in these photos, told you it’s been dark here lately!) My heart nearly burst when they began blowing kisses at one another. A reminder from above that I’m so blessed and SUCH a proud mama bear.

•

Now I just want to add this as I close off on this post since it’s been on my heart lately. _ It’s so easy to get caught up. Get caught up in others judgments, their decisions, their opinions, their projections. It is, and I’m guilty of caring, perhaps more than I should at times. But when you step back, glance around at the people surrounding you, and take a look back at the path you’ve taken to get where you are, remember you ARE wonderful. You’re kind, you mean well, and you’re the bees knees.

And just as I was thinking these thoughts … I came across our living room photo from two years ago. The very same living room my darling daughters were devouring their sugary ice cream in. 🙂 This photo was how our living room looked AFTER we moved in here two years ago. Back then it felt impossible to be where we are today. And sadly I must admit, due to the hustle and bustle of life, it’s easy to brush off our hard work and how far we’ve come. So as I sat here typing, I applauded myself, my husband and our girls’ and all the hard work we’ve done, which isn’t easy for me to do when I’m commending myself, but it’s important to do nonetheless.

So today especially I’m remembering it. I’m remembering our story, and grasping onto pride and how happy and grateful I am for the journey. After stress, sweat and tears, I now have this opportunity, this moment, this reality, to sit our beautiful daughters down for a cozy, happy party filled with love and blog about it. Blog about the very room I cringed at for so long. Life is good. God is great.

Xoxo•Big Hugs to each of you.

Susan

Don’t forget to check out these other amazing bloggers for their ideas and Valentine’s Day kiddo parties: You’ll be so happy you did!

She Leaves A Little Sparkle
Zevy Joy
A Thoughtful Place
Kindred Vintage Co.
Eleven Gables
Pink Peppermint Design
Ella Claire
House Of Five
Elliven Studio
Craftberry Bush
Sunny Side Up

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas Eve, loves!!

We are busy baking and wrapping and baking and wrapping over here! The girls are snuggled up for a nap so we’re actually getting a lot done, I say it’s a Christmas miracle! 🙂

I wanted to share with you our holiday cards this year, they’re precious and they’re from Minted! When I think of Christmas cards I think of them, ever since before I started blogging they were my go to for cards. I just loved their options and I love that they have so many that say MERRY CHRISTMAS! It’s my thing, and not that I have ANYTHING against a happy holiday card but for me, it must say Merry Christmas! (I don’t even look at the others so they don’t tempt me! Ha!) Also, another thing I tried this year that I have never done before… customized stamps and ornaments which I used to decorate the presents!! I took the photo of the girls sitting in front of the fire and turned it into our Christmas stamp and then tires on a pretty little gem. Totally mind blown I tell ya! I love them so much!

This year we also got our wrapping paper from them and let me tell you my honest opinion. From the quality of the paper you would swear they were a company who solely specialized in wrapping paper! It’s fantastic!! It comes in sheets instead of rolls and I must admit at first it appeared intimidating but one present in both my husband and I were sold! The sheet sizes were so convenient! Also, there’s few things worse than getting to the end of wrapping a present to have the paper tear on you. Am I right?! Well with this paper, I’m so relieved to say that didn’t happen once! Kudos Minted!

Busy and didn’t get your Christmas cards out on time?? No worries friend! Minted also has plenty of gorgeous New Years cards! (And if you’re like me, sending and receiving cards a few week after the holiday is totally acceptable!!) 😉

xoxo

susan

 

 

 

Happy Christmas Eve, Eve everyone!

Tonight we are snuggling up on the couch to watch our favorite Christmas shows as a family. I have said it before but it truly is the most wonderful time of the year to me! Don’t get me. Wrong snuggles are ALWAYS super special but when the glow of the Christmas trees, the snow on the ground and all the festive details of Christmas surround us it makes it that much more magical! Speaking of festive details, I HAVE to share with you these DARLING pajamas from our favorite pj shop, Hanna Andersson!

Every Christmas it is tradition to buy new pajamas for the family to wear on Christmas Eve! This year THESE Pajamas were our ones of choice and we couldn’t love them more! My husband and I also got them to match our daughter’s! They have them for the whole family! You can choose to coordinate and all wear the same style or mix and match them! With so many darling options you can’t go wrong either way!

With the freshly fallen snow, our comfy festive pjs, and this sweet playhouse decked out for Christmas. I couldn’t resist setting up a photoshoot! I simply adore how these pictures turned out and I love that they’re in their cozy Christmas jammie’s!

You can purchase them here, as well as their cutie sock-booties! I also think they would be darling for a festive New Year’s Eve party when the kids are rockin’ their pj’s straight into the New Year… or if they’re like mine, 9pm. 😉

Wishing you a Merry Christmas Eve, Eve sweet friends!

This post was made in partnership with Hanna Andersson. All opinions are our own.

xo

susan

 

Good morning!

It’s the holiday season and there are few things that say Merry Christmas more than fresh baked cookies!

This year we have made everything from gingerbread men to thumbprint cookies but our ingredients have definitely changed! Our daughter is now 100% gluten free as of this year but we didn’t let that interfere with our cookie baking tradition! It’s intimidating at first but with a few tweaks here and there we were still able to make and decorate delicious Christmas cookies, one of our favorite things to do!

For this post I wanted to share a gluten free cookie recipe that is simple, quick, easy and yummy! So here it is!

Gluten Free- Christmas Butter Cookies:

Ingredients
½ c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
½ tsp. almond extract, opt.
½ tsp. cherry extract, opt.
1 pkg. yellow Gluten Free cake mix
½ c. sprinkles

Directions:

In a medium bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese. Add the egg, almond extract and cherry extract and mix until combined. Add the white cake mix and mix until combined. Stir in  ½ cup of sprinkles. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 24 hours. The longer the dough chills, the less sticky it will be.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for two minutes before removing to wire rack. Makes around 42 small cookies.

You can add any colored sprinkles, go traditional with reds and greens or like we chose, coordinate your cookies with your home’s Christmas decor. 😉

These cookies are amazing. I would describe them as somewhere between a cookie and a soft, gooey muffin. So yummy and our daughters definitely approved!

I hope you have a wonderful holiday! If you decide to make these cookies I would love to know what you think! Thank you so much for joining our cookie exchange! Make sure to follow the other talented ladies below to see what goodness they’re sharing today!

xo, Merry Christmas, Susan

Craftberry Bush | Ella Claire | My Sweet Savannah

Kindred Vintage | French Country Cottage | Jennifer Rizzo

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. We just love This season and although it is so much bigger and more meaningful than the Jolly Old Man In Red, having kids who believe makes the season that much more fun, and along with all the fun, comes presents!

I’m so happy to be back with another post for the Farmhouse Holiday Series. It has been such a joy to be a blogger in this series! I am truly blown away by the talented the other women in the group share.

This is a bit of a different post for me. Not only is it a DIY post, it is an ‘on a whim, stuck in a pickle post’. 🙂 My Minted wrapping has not arrived in the mail yet, so in the meantime, I am going to show you what to do if you’re stuck at home in a blizzard without wrapping paper and have gifts to give! 😉

I started off by looking around at my home decor and the freshly fallen snow outside the window and then headed down to the basement where my craft supplies is stored for some more inspiration. I came across some gold glittered paper, feathers, spray paint and brown paper. Done, I had everything I needed.

I wanted some softness under the tree so for my first wrapping job I grabbed the brown paper and wrapped my first gift. I then grabbed an ornament off the tree that I had duplicates of and wouldn’t mind losing. It was a snowflake and it went perfectly with my snowy vision. I took it outside onto our porch and gently sprayed white paint over the ornament, moving it slightly, not in any specific manner, just enough to cover the paper. Then let dry for a few minutes before bringing it inside. Once inside I added some star garland I had left over from last year and it was a wrap! 😉

The next package I wanted to try something a bit different and out of the ordinary. I believe it’s due to my love of all things fluffy and furry lately (pillows, faux fur rugs etc) so once I saw the feathers I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them, create a wrapping paper of course!

Since I was out of glue I tapped a strip of rose gold, glittered construction paper down the center. Then proceeded to fill in the remaining blank space by taping down the white feathers. To finish I garnished the package with a lace floral decal and I love how it turned out!

Although the wrapping my not be perfect, it’s  perfect enough and that’s all that matters in my book! And in this neck of the woods Jolly Old Saint Nick agrees. So make the best out of what you have, and enjoy! The holidays are about having fun and relaxing, so in the midst of the hustle and bustle if a package doesnt arrive when you’d wish’d it would’ve, sigh, relax and make some hot cocoa out of that chocolate Hershey’s bar. 😉 Merry Christmas!

xoxo susan

Rooms For Rent

Ella Claire | Liz Marie Blog | Jeanne Oliver | Shades of Blue Interiors

French Country Cottage | City Farmhouse | Dear Lillie | My Sweet Savannah

Kindred Vintage | Craftberry Bush | Jennifer Rizzo

Hello Friends!

It sure has been a busy week here! Yesterday was our Holiday House Walk, tonight we are hosting our annual Christmas party so I wanted to share with you an appetizer we are making! Which happened to fit in perfectly with the Farmhouse Holiday Series kitchen and recipe post for today!

I wanted to show you our kitchen decorated for the Holidays and share with you an appetizer I used to make with my mother when I was a kid!

Some of my very favorite features about our kitchen is that it lands right in the center of our home. After knocking down walls and completely rehabbing the space it has become one of our very favorite hang outs!

This Caitlin Wilson Design rug and this stunning open chandelier from Kathy Kuo Home are the two newest additions to the space and I just adore the warmth and chicness they both bring!

Now onto the fun little appetizer. Warning, I am NO chef by any means. I do like to bake during the holidays but that’s as far as I would like to go. 🙂 I’m more of an eater. 😉

This appetizer is so easy, cute and enjoyable for young ones to make so that’s why I chose to share it with you!

All you need is:

large olives

regualr sized olives

cream cheese

carrots

(I used  baby carrots but large ones would definitely work better)

toothpicks

Also, a pair of helping hands makes it more fun if you have any of those lying around. 😉

Directions; Make a lengthwise slice halfway into each colossal olive. Gently hold the olive open and push as much cream cheese into the opening as you can, filling the olive. Use your fingers or a paper towel to tidy up along the edges of the opening.

Place a filled olive, large hole side down, on a carrot round, lining up the white of the cream cheese with the wedge cut from the carrot round. Use a toothpick pushed down through the center to hold the “chest” of the penguin to the “feet”.

Push one head, “beak” side lined up with the “chest” and “feet” down onto the toothpicks.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Not only are they yummy and fun to make I must admit they’re pretty adorable too!

 And while I have you can we just talk about this brick wall for just one second? Isn’t it amazing, and can you believe it is wallpaper?! This textured wallpaper is from Tempaper Designs and it is amazing and because it is removable it made installation a breeze! I think all wallpaper should be made this way!

Please make sure to check out the other talented bloggers in today’s Farmhouse Holiday Tour! Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

 

French Country Cottage

Ella Claire | Craftberry Bush | Love Grows Wild | Rooms For Rent

Jennifer Rizzo | Shades of Blue Interiors | Kindred Vintage | My Sweet Savannah