wishing you a spectacularly spooky weekend full of fun.
blueprints for blogging in november.
an inside look at our craft boutique, an amazingly easy pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe (no measuring cups required!), more how-to guest posts (am still taking seasonal-themed submissions for december), hostess gift ideas and some fun christmas preparation ideas. maybe i'll get some old fashioned writing in too.
• i simply adore this one of a kind handcrafted owl costume by Mom Shinmin. seriously, so darling. hoot hoot. (be sure to bookmark mom inc. daily. it's a new site which promises darling ideas and creative projects from rad designer moms. thanks for the heads up, miss cat.)
• these owl cupcakes would round out the theme nicely. too cute for words.
• sweet pumpkin cream whoopie pies in individual origami boxes. i die.
• fancy gold and black painted pumpkins on the porch by twig & thistle. halloween made chic.
• a week of halloween traditions (i'll be stuffing them into one weekend). this list is a keeper.
• i am still thinking about these pumpkin kiss cookies since the post went up on the 14th.
• speaking of cookies, my sister-in-law's famous spider web cookies are the prize winners.
• if i had a tree in my yard (or a yard for that matter), i'd string up these trashbag ghosts!
• someday i'll be brave enough to attempt these diy gourmet caramel apples. mmm. mm.
• instead, i'll be baking / taking this ghost cake to a fun party saturday night.
• am loving this dart board idea for trunk or treat. way to get the bigger kids super excited!
• of course we'll be reading benji's favorite spooky story, In A Dark, Dark Wood by david carter.
• check this out. brittany has a genius idea for getting rid of all that sugar after halloween night!
• am super excited about november and december. this fabric fall wreath by my friend elise is definitely front door worthy. i don't know about you, but i can hardly wait to get going on christmas planning. i must confess, i listened to some holiday tunes yesterday. no, i'm not kidding. however i also performed a very amateur version of thriller with my hip hop class last night, so things have a way of balancing themselves out.
happy halloween-ing.
costume image via momincdaily.com
dan's moustache made its annual cameo last thursday. you may think my craft boutique was the big deal of the weekend. not exactly. facial hair is always a hot topic of discussion amongst family; a topic most everyone has an opinion on.
my man is very happy these days. saturday he got to hike in the mountains with his favorite little buddy, go to the shooting range and hit some targets and see the first snowfall of the season. he even got a sweet new puffy coat for the winter. hip hip.
the latest news. yesterday he really surprised me. after months of my tireless campaigning, he went out and bought his very own cell phone. yay. speed dialing a lover never gets old. love you, babe.
p.s. did you ever wonder where my little boy got his huge hazelnut eyes?
HOW-TO CREATE A THANKSGIVING GARLAND
by tiffany bird of simply modern mom
tiffany's website is full of lovely tutorials and crafty ideas. i know we're all excited for halloween at the moment, but i just loved this thoughtful thanksgiving countdown garland. it would be wonderful to make it in time for november first! writing meaningful messages on each paper leaf makes it completely sweet and scrapbook worthy. thanks to you, tiffany!
I love this time of year when we begin to reflect on the many things we are grateful for in our lives. The last couple of years, I wanted to teach my 3-year-old Kaye to express gratitude for the many blessings in her life. Thus began the tradition of our Thanksgiving countdown. A little tradition that began with construction paper chain links a few years ago.
The main idea: Write down one thing we are grateful for each day in November. Each member in the family participate in writing down things they count as blessings. Then we display it somewhere visible as a daily reminder of the things appreciate in our blessed lives.
Last year, I upgraded the construction paper chain links to a leafy garland. Here is a simple tutorial for you to count your blessings in November with a garland. If you make something using this tutorial, please upload pictures of it in our Flickr group to show it off to everyone. You may be featured on Simply Modern Mom.
Supplies:
a little update after a big weekend.
• we got in late last night after a whirlwind weekend. we always pack a lot of activities in when we head home to utah. now there is a lot of unpacking to do. it's nice to get things back in order on a monday afternoon. luckily i have a busy helper here. b is currently sitting in my laundry basket, ready to roll.
• the autumn leaves in utah were truly stunning. we took a sunday drive up the colorful canyon and could hardly believe our eyes. am so glad we got to see them in all their glory, no photoshop necessary.
• a big heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported our craft boutique. it really meant so much to us that people would drive to park city in the rainy weather! i especially loved meeting those of you from blogland. it was a delight to chat and get to know you (and meet your sweet babies too)! thanks to my fellow crafty darling vendors for creating a smashing event. lets do it again sometime! special thanks to those who helped us set up and take down. boutique photos and details to come.
• good news for those of you who missed out on our boutique, i'll be stocking my virtual shelves with my leftover inventory. stay tuned for an online pre-holiday event in the mini mart starting november 4th. it will likely be my last sale before christmas, so stock up early.
• thank you for the custom order inquiries and requests, however i will not be taking any more custom christmas card orders this year. there will be cute pre-made holiday cards available (individually and sets of six) in the shop come november 4th.
• i have an exciting bit of news i've been wanting to share. a woman by the name of fanny has attained the rights to my copyright and is now creating handmade mini diaries in spanish! pretty awesome, huh. she lives in madrid, spain and is creating beautiful mini diaries across the globe. i am excited that the popular mini diaries can reach even more people, thanks to fanny. if you're interested in ordering one from her, please email her directly. fannybenitez{at}gmail{dot}com.
• benji got some trick-or-treating practice this weekend! nothing like a grandparent oohing and ahhing over your halloween costume. with striped Oshkosh overalls, a cap and a red neckerchief, he makes a pretty irresistible little train engineer.
happy monday everyone.
a final look at some products for saturday's boutique.
am delighted to be the gal representing paper. i'll be sure to list the leftovers in my shop! i am especially excited about a new item that i've been working long hours on. (of course the best ideas always come fashionably late.) it's something i've been thinking about forever and finally decided to produce it. (thanks to my mom's encouragement. is there anything better?) i'm picking it up from the print shop tomorrow. i can't wait to see how the debut goes at the boutique. of course i'll tell you all about it when i return.
p.s. we're thrilled to have a rainbow of divine twine spools available at our boutique too! yay.
HOW-TO MAKE A HALLOWEEN PENNANT BANNER
by marta
last week i made a handful of these halloween pennant banner kits for our upcoming boutique. they are super fun to make. i thought i might as well create a how-to post about it for those of you who might like to craft up your very own!
you'll need some festive halloween paper for the banner, even basic black cardstock could work. cut out eleven pennants from the festive scrapbook paper. six inch triangles work well! on a nice pumpkin colored cardstock, print out the word halloween. if you'd like to purchase the one i designed (shown here, with witches), my pennant download is available for five bucks right here. using a large punch or scissors, cut out the letter circles. voila! now you have circles and pennant triangles, you're halfway there!
attach each letter circle to a festive pennant with double stick tape, puffy glue dots, or old school masking tape in tiny rolls like your second grade teacher did. using a small hole punch, punch holes near the top corners of each pennant. space them wide, so there are two holes on top of each triangle. no measuring necessary, just loosen up a bit and eyeball it.
now lay your pennants out on a flat surface. string them one by one onto a lovely long ribbon (4 yards is perfect). leave some excess ribbon on each end for tying. make sure you spell halloween right while you're stringing the pennants so you won't have to undo all that hard work! i think the witches look nice on both ends, facing inwards. but that's just me.
hang your halloween banner, add extra ribbon at the ends if you'd like and impress your party guests. trick-or-treaters will be in awe of your homemade halloween decor! carry on with your halloween-ing festivities.
instant $5 download. my halloween pennant download includes step by step instructions to make your own pennant banner, the letter circles for halloween, along with the spooky witch silhouettes. after your payment is made, an email will arrive including the purchased download link. enjoy.
view the how-to series archives for tons of tutorials from readers like you.
"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden
lots of happy october happenings this weekend..
jumping in the crunchy yellow leaves at the park.
a pumpkin hunt and a costume hunt (both successful)!
cozying up with a wonderful suspenseful movie, the ghost writer.
mugs of apple cider and a cinnamoney candle burning.
in honor of getting into the halloween feel,
i dug up a few spooky sweets from seasons past.
the nutter butter ghosts are always a big hit in our house.
happy monday.
we worked together collecting leaves the other afternoon. benji works energetically at whatever task is at hand. i now see what is meant when the scriptures urge us to become like a little child; full hearted and fully present. complete and true. loving and wholly trusting. forgiving and forgetting. cheerful and ever optimistic. good to the core. i am striving to become more childlike. having one as my sidekick helps me see life's important details more clearly.
we went swimming indoors yesterday morning. a spontaneous decision i made while tossing the towels in my giant swim bag. we hurried and left the house before i could remember to bring along a to do list. it was the perfect activity. we had no schedule, no time commitments, nothing pulling at my mind. we splashed in the water and kicked our legs and had the whole pool to ourselves.
i taught him the word again as he kept wanting to leap to me from the steps. again, again, he'd say. i was my favorite self and my heart felt full and lucky. he was happy as a clam and didn't seem to mind when swimming was over. no tantrum today, hooray. it wasn't so tough to wrestle him out of his swim trunks and into dry clothes. i asked myself, why don't we do this all the time? i then promised myself we'd do it more. make it a routine, a special outing for b and me. somedays i feel sad that i am not carrying his little sibling at the moment. it hits me that my second pregnancy ended too soon and i start feeling blue. but then i try to brush myself off and tell myself that the reasons will unveil themselves in due time. i then attempt to give my boy all of me. that is what i have at the moment. that is what i can do for him. i can give him my whole heart and let the worrying subside. i can wrap him up in my mothering ways and seek the brighter side of life. after swimming we treated ourselves to a wild berry smoothie from mcdonald's. we even took one to dan at work.
dan was happy and gave us kisses. my boy in the backseat sipped on the straw with puckered dimpled cheeks. i wished i had my camera with me. he looked cute in his striped shirt sipping strawberry smoothie from a straw. i thought it would make a sweet page for an alphabet book.
then there was sad news mentioned about a friend of dan's who has been battling cancer while living life to the fullest degree this past year. he passed away. the familiar pang of sadness settled into my heart. i thought of his loving wife who must learn (even moreso) about strength, faith and courage. i thought of their kids who will now cling to memories. i cried my way home. i thought of lauren, a little girl in our neighborhood who has been suffering from cancer. she, too, recently passed away, living shortly after her eleventh birthday. i wondered if somehow their families can feel the caring thoughts from acquaintances from afar. i hoped so. i hope they can somehow find love and peace and comfort in the loneliness of their sorrows. i pray they can feel God's love in a real way.
my soul is quiet for them today. i believe in families that last forever. i believe in life after death and i know death is not the end of our soul's existence. times like these i cling to that knowledge and take refuge in it like a cave in a windstorm.
i am amazed at the journey of life and the genuine undying love we can offer each other; the friendships we can build and the memories that can grow from the little moments we share. the meaningful carvings we can whittle into each other's hearts. i marvel at the way death can breathe newness into the lives of those living; to rejoice at what we have been given and let our small worries scatter away. i am ever reminded of what is right and good and important again.
again.
we will be with them again.
i know this for sure.
p.s. i will be Blogging Golightly next week so i can tie up last minute strings for the upcoming harvest boutique. am getting super excited and nervous, but mostly excited. i also have a goal to figure out what this boy will be for halloween. thank you for your purchases from the mini mart shop this week. i entirely appreciate it. your kind comments really do me good. customers who take the time to email me after receiving goodies are almost too good to be true; i can't get enough of your awesome feedback. i'll be shipping your orders tomorrow. the new harvest postcards are going fast, so please don't hesitate to snatch yours up.
welcome to my focaccia bread post. i hope you can smell the buttery bread, baked cheese and italian spices. this recipe came from dan's aunt sherrie and is such a flavorful, simple recipe to whip up when guests are expected. i love that it bakes in a 9x13 pan, making plenty for everyone. plus it makes your house smell like a cafe in italy. last weekend we served this focaccia with dinner friday night and then had baked french toast (with cream cheese) the next morning. i warned everyone, this is not a low carb weekend. they seemed okay with that. now onto the flawless focaccia.
Focaccia Bread
2 hours, start to finish
2 cups warm water
1 pkg. active dry yeast (not instant)
1 Tbs. sugar
4 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
1-2 Tbs. Italian seasonings
Toppings.
1/2 cup butter, melted
garlic salt
Parmesan cheese, grated
Directions.
1. In small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water.
2. Blend together remaining 1 1/2 cup warm water, dissolved yeast, sugar, flour and salt in mixer bowl. Combine well. Mix in Italian seasonings. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise to double or more (about an hour).
3. Grease a 9x13 pan. Scoop dough into prepared pan, dough will be very sticky. You'll be tempted, but don't add any extra flour. Butter your clean hands and coax the dough into all the edges of the pan.
4. Let dough rise again for 20 minutes, meanwhile preheat oven to 400. Before baking, poke indents in the focaccia with your fingers. Drizzle melted butter over the top of the bread. Sprinkle some garlic salt over the top and add a couple handfuls of Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake 20 minutes. After cooling for ten minutes, turn focaccia out on cutting board and slice into thick breadsticks. Pile them into a bread basket and serve to hungry guests.
enjoy.
introducing the harvest collection.
i am excited to announce there are more pretty prints in the mini mart shop! thanks to such an awesome response to the penpal launch last month, we decided to add a new collection of postcards to the penpal project. the harvest collection may be my favorite set yet. i'm anticipating the cozy feel of the holidays and plan to frame these for thanksgiving. this set features summer harms' photography, her talents never cease to amaze. i love the classic seasonal items in perfectly serene settings. the five prints come together to make such a charming set.
pack of five postcard prints: $10.00
the penpal project is sold exclusively at the mini mart.
images courtesy of summer harms.
we spent the weekend in the woods.
we sipped hot cocoa, roasted giant marshmallows over the fire, devoured homemade focaccia bread, played cards, and hung out. it was the perfect place for some r and r. the two little boys loved bouncing around together and exploring the cabin. i couldn't help but notice how long and lean benji looked next to his baby cousin, miles. i couldn't help but reminisce and think of all he has learned in his two short years. i loved watching them together. they are the best of pals (despite the serious glare he is giving him in this snapshot)! they got along swimmingly, as they say.
i kept thinking to myself that someday when they're eleven and twelve and setting up a game of monopoly, i'll tell them about this adventure. i'll tell them how i watched their friendship begin. i'm guessing they will still have dirt on their jeans and will still play outside barefoot. this weekend miles kept wanting to wrestle and benji would lean down–like a big person–to get on his cousin's level. it was pretty cute. miles is walking now, with those steady chubby legs, his hands straight in the air and his happy toothy grin across his face. benji is energetically doing tumbling tricks and saying hi, hi, hi to anyone within earshot.
i sometimes miss benji's babyhood but i am loving everything he is right now. he is so cheerful and helpful and fun and bright. he does things with intention and is trying hard to be a good boy and follow directions. he scoots a step stool around, stands on it and tries to bake with me. he opens the spice drawer, grabs a jar and shakes the contents into a bowl just like i do. his little toddler ways are irresistible. (they definitely make up for the tiny tantrums in the parking lot at the playground. i wouldn't want to leave if i were you either.) the newness of watching him grow is amazing, everytime we go to the park he conquers something new. every day he learns a new word. every day an unknown adventure. motherhood is anything but boring.
i must say this to you new mamas, do not blink. what they say is true, they sprout up right before your eyes. i am lucky in love. i feel ever so blessed to play such a big part in my little boy's world.
HOW-TO WEAR A NUDE LIP
by brandy, mom & makeup artist of lipstick & laundry
The glossy nude lip is everywhere and it is here to stay! From runway models to magazine covers to celebrity sightings. Everyone is wearing it. The great thing about this lip is that it looks good on just about anyone. You just have to choose what shades look best for your skin tone. There are 4 easy steps to achieve this sexy pouty look: Prep, Outline, Color, and Gloss.
01. Prep:
It's important to make sure the lip is fully hydrated and exfoliated when wearing a nude lip. It will show any imperfections the lip may have. To do this, apply a generous amount of lip balm and let it soak in for a few minutes. Then blot off the excess. Now you are ready for concealer. Using your finger, apply a concealer that is the same tone as your skin. Cover the lips completely. Finally, set the lips by lightly dusting them with powder.
02. Outline:
Define the lip with a lip pencil THAT IS THE SAME COLOR AS YOUR LIP. This is important because you don' t want to have that "washed out" look. Trace the outline of your lips and fill in with a thick line towards the center of the lips.
03. Color:
When choosing a lipstick, pick a color that has peachy undertones. Stay away from the really pale colors. You want the lips to look as natural as possible. I recommend only using a matte lipstick for this look. If you are like me, I always want to my lips to be covered in gloss. In the next step, the gloss will give you the healthy shine you are wanting. But for the lipstick itself, stay with a matte.
The key to this look is finding the right nude shade of color for your skin tone. If you have fair skin, stick with a peachy-beige colors. For medium tones, stay with the peachy pinks. If you have dark skin, go for the honey or caramel colors.
04. Gloss:
Choose a gloss that is either clear or neutral. Since you used a matte lipstick, it's okay to choose a gloss that has just a hint of shimmer to it. But don't go overboard. ONLY APPLY GLOSS TO THE CENTER OF THE LIPS. voila!
Hint: A glossy nude lip really compliments a smokey dramatic eye.
I know some people get overwhelmed when visiting the make up counters so I put together a list of colors that would work for each skin tone. You might notice that I'm slightly bias towards MAC products. I think, in the lip color area, they have the best selection. That is just my own opinion. I know other lines offer beautiful options as well.
For Fair Skin: Lip Liners; Sublime Culture, Subculture Liner, or Whirl. Lipsticks; Creme D' Nude, Myth, Honey Love, or Siss. Lip Gloss: Love Nectar, Underage, or C-Thru.
For Medium Skin: Lip Liners; Whirl or Stripdown. Lipsticks; Velvet Teddy or High Tea. Lip Gloss; Love Nectar or Florabundance.
For Darker Skin: Lip Liners; Cork or Oak. Lipsticks; Honey Flower or Fresh Brew. Lip Gloss; Sinnamon or Chai.
image via thrilld.com
visit the how-to series to infuse yourself in more creative guest post tutorials from readers!
"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden
a quick collage of my recent custom designs.
i like to save them right here as a virtual drawing board.
i love when the blog becomes a handy dandy reference tool.
i will be crafting in all the inbetween times today.
happy mod podge monday.
new business cards with my new brand arrived. am always happy with moo mini cards. yay. did i mention yet that i recently became officially official? making my business a bit more legit means i want to punch it up a notch. in my own little way. i want to produce high quality products and make clients glad they chose to work with me. dotting my i's and crossing my t's feels good. i started with a few tiny tweaks around the blog. am always hoping this space is easy to navigate.
i have a whole lot more to say, words were brewing thick today. there was a funeral, there was a rainbow. there was my little boy jumping in puddles and later, examining the mailboxes down the lane. i'm preparing for weekend guests so words will have to wait. am thinking toll house pie and scrabble word slam. i can hardly wait. happy weekend, everyone.
i highly recommend listening to (or reading) this on your lunch hour, it's just exactly what i needed.
p.s. special thanks to design mom for the sweet mention about our penpal project. double yay.
p.p.s. tune in next week for something new in the shop.
this past weekend we went home for a short surprise visit. a little belated birthday shopping, my dad's big 64th birthday and our anniversary rolled into one mini excursion. it was bliss, despite catching a terrible cold and losing my voice completely. (seriously, i've never been so raspy. it's hilarious.) however we still managed to have a lot of fun. mostly because of all the good company.
this is jason and whit. the cutest couple i know. don't they look charmingly matchy matchy in this photo? i think they should be in magazines. saturday we ate brunch together at our favorite diner in the mountains, ruth's. we had hot cocoa and ruth's famous mile high biscuits. completely out of the ordinary, my whispy whit ordered the steak omelet special. this still makes me laugh. i think she preferred my tomato, eggs and fancy cheese dish. i love when you're with company you can share bites with. it was just as it should be; fall leaves changing, road bikers pedaling and puffing up the hills, and a little bit of catching up over a medley of delicious calories.
it was a a rare indulgence. whit and i got to shop and chit chat the whole day. she picks out the best clothes and always knows how to help me in the fashion department. she is forever the one to listen to my ramblings. even when my voice is hoarse and scratchy. she played trucks with benj and hung out for last minute strawberries and crackers and later sent me to bed to hurry and get better.
sunday we saw our families (yay), ate sarah's general conference crepes and ramekins of trail mix. dan was even in a play with my little nieces and nephews. it's a tradional event. the kids run down to the basement, dress up and make up a play before the night's end. later they'll run up the stairs enthusiastically and hang signs to direct us to where the play will be held. we had good seats and paid a penny for each ticket. my dad opened his presents and told us how much he loved us. we all adore him. i love the whirlwind of a weekend with family. just wish it could last longer.
p.s. my mom impressed us all by figuring out how to post a special youtube slideshow to celebrate my dad's birthday. how rad is that? it doesn't get much better than vintage family photographs.
