Calendar Cards and a $100 Tiny Prints Giveaway!

December 18, 2015

Well, I waited to long and now it’s too late to send out Christmas cards. So, I’m going with New Years card instead. I like to send a card out the my friends and companies that I have collaborated with throughout the year. And instead of a dorky photo of my face, I decided a little calendar might be a useful card to send out.

Tiny Prints has some great options for New Years Cards and Business Calendar Cards. I chose the Simple Sprigs card. It has an adorable contrasting back and it’s printed on beautiful thick card stock. I added cute striped envelope liners as well. I love that you can add your own logo or business name to the calendar. Folks are sure to remember you if they use the little calendar.

With the cards, I’m including a little tree shaped lavender sachet ornament. It can be hung on the tree, in a car or in a closet or drawer to keep clothes smelling fresh. I made these in just minutes with a couple triangles of fabric, a little piece of leather cord, some dried lavender and my sewing machine.

Ok, and I have a fun giveaway for you. You can enter below to win $100 to spend at Tiny Prints!!! How great is that? Now if you procrastinated on your Christmas cards, there is no excuse not to send out a fun New Years card. Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DIY

DIY Triangle Tree

December 16, 2015

You know I’m a fan of a good triangle and this might be a pattern you’ve seen here before (remember this felt tree hanging and these watercolors.)

Well, I’ve made another version, this time on wood. It might be my most favorite one of all. Be sure to check out the full how-to over on Curbly today.

Design

Gift Guide for the New Homeowner

December 15, 2015

Oh boy, there are fewer and fewer days left to get your Christmas shopping done. I know I’m very from being done shopping. To help you and myself out, I’ve picked out a few fun gift ideas for the new home owner or renter in your life. These are items that could work well in a lot of spaces and with a lot of different styles. I know I’d happily add and use any of these items to my home.

1. Emily Henderson’s Styled Book

2. Gumball Coat Rack

3. Method Cleaners – Wood, Granite, Stainless Steel

4. Picture Hangers

5. Brass Hammer

6. Custom House Portrait

7. Locked Medicine Cabinet

8. Rope Door Mat

9. Letter Hooks

10. Magazine Rack

Food & Drink

Family Friendly Swedish Glogg

December 14, 2015

Move over Hot Apple Cider and Hot Cocoa, Glogg is our new favorite warm wintery drink.

A couple of years ago, my whole family visited Sweden over the Holidays. My Grandpa was Swedish and still had a lot of family there, so we went to meet them and visit that gorgeous country. Sweden is all I had hoped for and more. Those short cold wintery days involved quite a bit of Glogg, which is a delicious mulled wine and vodka drink that is infused with spices and served warm with a scoop of raisins and almonds in the bottom of the cup.

I’m all about mocktails and creating fun drinks the whole family can enjoy. So, I’ve come up with a Non-Alcoholic Swedish Glogg recipe. This is a little North Americanized, and I took the liberty of using cranberries. Nothing says Christmas like a cranberry, can’t you agree? This recipe make a big generous amount, perfect for a holiday get-together.

Non-Alcoholic Swedish Glogg

4 quarts Grape Cranberry Juice Cocktail
4 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp. whole cloves
1 tsp. whole all spice berries
1 tsp. whole cardamom pods
3 generous slices of fresh ginger
zest of 1/2 of an orange
1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup of whole blanched almonds or macadamia nuts
1/2 raisins or craisins (cranberry raisins)

This recipe can be done on the stove top or in a crockpot. Combine all the ingredients in a large pot. Heat on low heat for at least 3-4 hours. This gives the spices time to infuse into the juice. Remove all the spices and zest with a slotted spoon. Scoop a spoonful of nuts and raisins in the bottom of a cup, pour the warm glogg over and enjoy.

And because I know you are going to ask, both the copper mugs and copper cutlery are from CB2. I love the modern sleek shape of these modern moscow mules.

A Big thank you to CB2 for partnering with me on this post. Thanks for supporting the companies that help make this blog possible.

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The Week’s End

December 11, 2015

Well, can you believe it’s just two weeks till Christmas? I’m far from being ready. I haven’t even baked a single cookie yet. That’s so wrong. Usually by this time of the year, my freezer is stocked with dozens of holiday treats. I’ll get there. This weekend I’m back in Northern California, at my parent’s place. I’m helping my mom cook for their church’s Christmas banquet. Today I’m working on lot’s of fun fancy desserts.

Also, last week I shared that we are dealing with some health issues with Denali. Early next week, we are heading to Cedars-Sinai Hospital to see a specialist. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. It’s been a couple of back to back tough, real-life crap in the McConnel home. I’m sure you can relate, it happens to us all at times? I’m in one of those “when it rains it pours” spots in life. Just in case you thought my life was perfect, it’s far from. I want to say thanks for all your support for my little blog and what I’m trying to do here. I’m looking for the positives in each day and feeling grateful for all that is good in my life.

Tree Tops

Have a great weekend friends. If you are looking for some weekend inspiration, here’s what caught my eye in the blog world this week:

Could I please be invited to this gorgeous little get together?

I love these creative ideas for gift wrapping.

I want this cute festive holiday manicure.

I can’t get enough of marble, even if it’s faux marble.

And I want all my gift wrapped in this gorgeous floral wrapping paper.

DIY / Food & Drink

Grapefruit Thyme Spritzer and DIY Color Block Coasters

December 10, 2015

I’m having so much fun creating mocktails for my family. This might be my favorite yet. I LOVE citrus and combined with the earthy, herby flavor of thyme, is a match made in heaven. You really feel like you’re having a treat with this pretty nonalcoholic drink. So, invite some friends over and celebrate this holiday season with a Grapefruit Thyme Spritzer and your favorite cheese and crackers.

Just as it is in cooking, good ingredients make the drink. My friend Sarah, of Sarah Hearts, introduced me to Natalie’s Orchid Juices and now I’m hooked. This is probably the freshest tasting juice I’ve ever had. We have an orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit tree in our yard, so I consider myself a citrus snob. And yes, this Californian now loves Florida citrus as well. This is hand picked, freshly squeezed, made in American juice.

Grapefruit Thyme Spritzer

1/2 cup Natalies’s Orchid Grapefruit Juice
1 oz. Thyme Simple Syrup (see recipe below)
1/2 cup of club soda
a splash of aromatic bitters
a sprig or two of fresh thyme

Fill a glass with ice, pour in the juice and thyme simple syrup and mix. Top with club soda and a splash of bitters. Garnish with a couple sprigs of fresh thyme.

Thyme Simple Syrup

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme

In a small pot bring the sugar, water and thyme to a boil. Boil for 3 mins. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You can remove the thyme or leave it in the syrup.

And if you are going to serve a pretty drink, it needs an equally nice coaster to rest on. I made some simple felt color blocked coasters inspired by the colors of this drink. And they require absolutely no sewing at all!!!

Here’s what you will need:

4 colors of felt
scissors or rotary cutter
felt glue
a couple q-tips

Start by cutting 4 square of felt that are 4 x 4 inches and 4 square that are 3 /12 x 3 1/2 inches. Cut the smaller squares in half diagonally.

Play around with the felt pieces and decide on 4 combinations that work well together.

Apply a generous amount of felt glue to the backs of the triangles and spread the glue all the way to the edge with a q-tip.

Glue down the triangle and allow the coasters to dry over night.

This post is sponsored by Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Co. Thanks for supporting the companies that help make this blog possible.

DIY

Easy Felt Ball Wreath

December 9, 2015

Slowly be surely we are getting our house decorated for Christmas. The kids have little trees and lights in their bedrooms, but this year I added these cute little Felt Ball Wreaths to the ends of the girls’ beds.

I often say that a craft is easy and fast to make, but this one really is. I had these both made and hung in less then 10 mins. I used a couple holiday decorations from The Land of Nod and a metal hoop from the the craft store. Check out the full how to over on Honest to Nod, The Land of Nod’s blog today.

You can see more of the girls’ bedroom HERE.

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5 Tips for a Better Night’s Sleep

December 8, 2015

This might show my age, but sleep doesn’t come as easily as it used to. Don’t get me wrong, I’m tired, really tired most of the time, but sleep just doesn’t come easily. Sleep is so important, when I wake up from a well rested night, I’m ready to take on the world. So, today I’m sharing about our new mattress from Eve and I few other little tricks that are helping me hit those REMs.

5 Tips for a Better Night’s Sleep

1. Move – If I have exercised and been active during the day, even if it’s just a 30 minute walk, my body is more apt to relax. I’m one of those folks that can have twitchy, restless legs at night. If I haven’t exercises sometime during the day this seems to be worse at night.

Lately, my life has felt too crazy busy to exercise. I hate that. I really need to make it more of a priority. Taking an hour or even just 30 mins to walk around my neighborhood feels luxurious.

2. Scent – This really works for me. I’m all about a couple drops of lavender essential oil on my pillow or in the diffuser. I am very sensitive to smells, good ones and bad ones. Having one scent that takes me to restful sleep is really helpful. I don’t understand the science behind it, but my mind associates the soft scent of lavender with sleep. I also make sure to wash my sheets often, at least once a week. There is nothing like slipping into fresh crisp sheets – it’s one of my favorite things in life.

3. Mattress and Pillow – It matters, the quality and age of your mattress and pillows. In my 20s, it didn’t matter what I slept on. But, recently we upgraded our very sad, poor quality mattress to an Eve mattress. What a difference! After having 3 kids, my lower back is a mess and I’ve been sleeping like a baby on this comfy yet supportive mattress. I love their 100-night free trial where if you don’t absolutely fall in love with you Eve mattress, you can send it back free of charge with a full refund. Eve’s philosophy is ‘every great day starts the night before‘. I can’t agree more.

Just like your back needs support, so does your neck and head. Pillows can lose their support as well. I’m a huge fan of a thin down pillow, but after a couple of years, they lose their loft.

4. Temperature – There is nothing worse then trying to sleep when you are hot or cold. Temperature can interrupt and disturb your sleep. I love a down duvet, I’ve slept with one since I was a kid. I love the weight of it on me as a sleep. For some reason the down comforter is cool enough in the summer and warm enough in the winter. Although our house has air conditioning, in the summer, I have a little stand up fan beside our bed. And in the winter, I pile a heavy wool blanket on my side of the bed. Paying attention to the temperature of the room before you go to bed, can help you have a restful, uninterrupted night.

5. Peace – The mind has such power over our sleep. I cannot sleep if I have turmoil in my relationships, especially with my husband. I find it so important to make peace with the ones you love before you hit the pillow. I’m not saying that all problems can be resolved by the end of the day. But, letting my family know I love them and hearing that same in return is assuring and brings me peace of mind. I’m guaranteed a very rough night if I’m angry or fighting with the ones I love.

It was fun to unwrap our Eve mattress. I love that it can be delivered right to our front door without a fancy delivery service or awkward moving men. We made a little video of us unwrapping our new mattress. It was fun to watch it grow.

DIY

Custom House Portrait

December 7, 2015

As the gifting season is upon us, I’m looking for unique gifts I can give to my friends and family. I love to hunt for that special gift that I know the gift receiver will love. This year, two of our really close friends both bought their first homes. And it’s so exciting, they live in our neighborhood. Yay for friends in the hood!!!! We’ve lived here for over 12 years and have been holding out for this to become the “cool” neighborhood. It’s getting there.

I’m always a fan of Minted‘s products. So, when I saw that they had letterpress custom house portraits now, I knew this would be a great gift to give new home owners as a house warming gift. It’s such a great keepsake. I wrapped their framed prints with a little jar of picture hanging supplies and the cutest little brass hammer and screwdriver in one tool.

Minted made it so easy to order these gorgeous letterpress prints. I simply drove by their houses, when I knew they weren’t home, and snapped a straight on picture from the curb. Then I uploaded the image to Minted, added their home address and “Our First Home” to the bottom of the print and picked out the ink colors and frames. Within a day or two, a designer sent me a proof to look over.

For the first home, I picked a barn wood frame and a fun lime green ink for the print. And for the second I opted for a more neutral, modern look with a clean white frame and grey ink. Both turned out beautiful and now I want one of our little home.

Wouldn’t this be a fun family treasure to be able to pass down to your kids?

This post was sponsored by Minted. Thank you for supporting the companies that help make this blog possible.

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The Week’s End

December 4, 2015

Well, this week flew by. It’s all kind of blur. I know I worked every second I wasn’t sleeping, but I honestly can’t tell you what I accomplished. I did spend all day yesterday at my church decorating it for Christmas. We used eucalyptus everywhere!!!! It smells so good in there.

Just last month, Denali found out that she can start weening off her back brace. We are so pumped. But, then the last couple of weeks we’ve had another weird health issue with her that we are waiting to hear results from tests. Nothing wrecks a mom like worry. My head isn’t fully in the game this week as a result. We are praying for good news this morning.

I haven’t put up any decorations at all, it’s kind of making me sad. I’m hoping it will happen Sunday. Tomorrow I have someone coming to photograph my whole house (super exciting), so today I will be cleaning ALL DAY! I may make my family sleep at a hotel tonight, just kidding, but kind of not.

Here’s what caught my eye on the internet this week:

This colorful living room reveal.
I’m totally making a set of these for my bathroom, maybe with metallic gold paint.
I love this graphic bold DIY wrapping paper.
This can be my wish list too.
I’m probably going to have to make a pair of these adorable eye slippers.
This colorful Advent Calendar is really fun.
And finally a fun vintage ornament Phone Wallpaper to bring a little cheer.

Have a great weekend friends!