elf on the shelf

elf on the shelf is really stressing me out these days. how about you? the kids come running down the stairs in the morning to find out where mr. wink (that's the name of our elf) has moved and are often disappointed. mr. wink is a lazy elf. sometimes he doesn't move for days.

so while the kids were at school i had a little chat with mr. wink. i showed him how creative and mischievous his little elf friends are on pinterest. and that he better step up his game or he may not come out of his box next christmas. was i too harsh?

here are some favorite elf sightings...all via pinterest

i'd love to hear about your elf!

four gifts

have you heard of this christmas gift giving tradition? a friend introduced me to it a few years ago. It is such a simple, beautiful idea for the holidays.

something you want
something you need
something to wear
something to read

i found these beautiful tags to go along with each gift and they can be reused year after year.

image {dandee}

image {dandee}

what is your gift giving tradition?

advent elves

i received my first advent calendar when i was a little girl. it was handmade by my grandmother "fritz" who lived in wisconsin. i only saw her every few years as we lived in pennsylvania. she was a wonderfully creative woman. her advent calendar was a simple red felt banner with 24 hershey kisses tied to it with a bell at the bottom. she included a poem to go along with it (i don't know who the original author is):

december 1st to christmas
is the longest time of year

seems as though ol' santa
never will appear

how many days till christmas
it's so mighty hard to count

so this candy ribbon
will tell the exact amount

untie a candy every night
when the sandman casts his spell

christmas day will be here
by the time you reach the bell

Sadly that advent calendar is now long gone. I wanted to continue the tradition with my children. Instead of candy ribbons though, each child has an elf with the little pockets for trinkets and treats.

love their little feet

you don't have to spend a lot of money
these little treats were bought at party city, most for under 10 cents

the kids are so excited for december 1st and their first little treat. what kind of advent calendar do you have?

frosting for the cause

i'm guest posting over at frosting for the cause today. you can read my post here. thank you, paula, for letting me be a part of your wonderful project.

a charlie brown thanksgiving

every year i co-host a charlie brown thanksgiving at our cute little library. the kids make a cute thanksgiving craft, watch "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving", and then gobble up a feast just like ol' chuck and the gang.

the library all decked out in its thanksgiving best


some vince guaraldi really sets the mood


happy thanksgiving!

happy halloween!

i have some friends helping me in the kitchen today...



have a spooky halloween!!!

custom cookies

i love when customers request custom cookies based on an invitation or party theme. this week i had three custom orders.

first up were these adorable pink baby barnyard animals to match cupcake toppers for a little girls' first birthday.

next up were reptile cookies to match this invitation. i had a lot fun making these!

and bridal shower favors

lovely little details

please go over and check out the beautiful blog, lovely little details, today. jacin is an events planner in san francisco and has a great blog series called mason jar sunday. i am beyond thrilled to have my mason jar cookies featured there today! thanks jacin!

mwahahaha!!!

i love halloween...it's my absolutely favorite holiday. yes, i like it more than christmas. my husband's birthday is on halloween and i love playing little tricks on my kids. look at these great bloody butcher organs i found at the dollar store (yes, the dollar store). what to do, what to do...hmmmm....i know! put them in my kids lunch bags on halloween! shhh, don't tell them and ruin the surprise.

brains, liver and heart


there's even a suggested serving...very hannibal lecter


look how cute those brains look in my daughter's adorable lunch bag


such a well-balanced lunch...one might say "brain food"

no cute little treat bags for my kids. they get blood-spattered styrofoam trays with plastic bloodied organs. yes, i am twisted. am i a bad mother? should i be worried that my 6-yr old daughter will try to eat the plastic brains and choke? nah, too much fun!!! do you play any halloween tricks on your family?

presentation is everything!

remember those adorable twig letters i showed you as part of the great cousin camp out dessert table? well, take at look at how cute they came packaged. packaging is everything! if someone spends that much time on making a package look this good then you know their product is going to be magnificent!

you had me at egg carton...

oohhh, what's under there??? i can't stand it!!

look at how cute nestled in there...


ta-dah!!

yes, i know, you must be thinking how can i get so excited over twig letters. oh, c'mon...you really like them too, don't you? they can be used for so many things...place settings for a party, a child's name for his/her bedroom, stocking stuffers, the ideas are endless. and you can find them right here.

etsy halloween faves

i'm always on the look-out for unique halloween ideas for classroom favors and etsy is just the place to find them. here's a few of my favorites this year...

{images: 1. paper misfortune; 2. cootie catcher: 3. straws;
4. cones; 5. witches; 6. jack-o-lantern soap}

my scarecrow family

meet my scarecrow family.
they welcome our visitors and trick-or-treaters each fall.

here's mr. and mrs. p. check out mrs. p's 1950's apron and wooden spoon hands ready to tackle anything in the kitchen (and notice her slightly frazzled hair!).

meet the children, ben, max and lily. they're so cute at this age...

the boys have cute little hose nozzle noses (say that three times fast)
and garden tool hands



lily wants to be a baker just like her mom






i'm definitely feeling fall right now and can't wait to get the rest of the decorations out. have you started your fall decorating yet?