a book shower

When my brother and his gal were expecting their first child I wanted to do something special for them but they were not thrilled with the idea of a traditional baby shower.  So I came up with this:

So many great books were given. I put them all together and presented them to the mama-to-be. She loved it and it was such an easy shower to host!

kids mail swap

what happens when your fellow junk lovin' friend invites you on a 5 hour road trip to dig through an old barn? you go! and then you talk non-stop (in between double stuff oreos) about life and all of the creative ideas we have swirling around in our pretty little heads! this is just one of the many ideas that came from that five hour road trip . . .

cleo has been very busy creating mail for all of her friends and neighbors. she creates a pretty piece of mail, throws it in an envelope and heads out with her mail bag in tow and delivers her mail. i got to thinking wouldn't it be fun if she actually sent out that mail and got some fun mail in return? that's where you come in! do you have a little person in your house that loves mail? i hope you will join us!

here's how it works . . .  easy peasy!

send me your child's name, age and your mailing address. (darcyjerome@comcast.net) once i have received all of the participant's names and information, i will match everyone up and the mailing can begin. no gifts or trinkets. just good ol' snail mail! 

Valentine's Day Printable

valentine's day is right around the corner! these were such a hit with cleo's little friends last year so i created a printable just for you! print, cut and attach a party blow-out. 

something i read, ate, created #23

i am definitely late to this party . . .  MOMASTERY! do you follow her blog? have you read her book? i am reading her book, carry on, warrior: the power of embracing your messy, beautiful life, right now and have had so many aha moments. my highlighter is working over time.  i highly reccomend it!

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i made this recipe up and it has turned into one of our favorites! 

ground turkey is a winter staple around here!

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one of my favorite instagram accounts to follow belongs to amanda over at be crafty. last year i attended one of her workshops and fell in love with this sweet, creative girl who just happens to be local too! i made her be my friend! (kidding, but not really) i have since attended two more workshops and have sponsored a handful! i created these fun stickers for the next be crafty workshop!

 you can find them in my etsy shop!

something i read, ate, created #22

 this summer i took part in our community choir! so fun!

 didn't realize how much i had missed singing!

one of the songs we performed was 

armore que une con el amor grandisimo

the first time i read through this song these words jumped right off the page . . .

 

i think it's the perfect description of me!

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last summer i spent two months on crutches so this summer i am totally making up for it! i created a summer bucket list with my kiddos. one of the first things we crossed off the list was visiting a strawberry farm to pick our own berries! ok let me tell you, it's hard work! we had fun but didn't come home with a ton of berries (didn't help that H ate more than he picked!)

i had high hopes of trying to make jam, but that didn't happen so i froze them instead. 

last week i made this! YUMMY and so EASY!

i followed the recipe for the most part, but i did not layer the berries on top of the pie. 

we kept them separate because they got a bit soupy from being frozen. then of course

we topped each piece off with more homemade whip cream! 

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i recently had a new mama contact me and ask me if i would

create a sign that she could attach to her baby's carseat. i think you could

 hang this from the nursery door too! 

something i read, ate, created #21

a friend recently sent this to me.

so thankful for my beautiful friends.

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a couple new, go to recipes

YUMMY

pancakes

EASY AND DELICIOUS

hummus

PERFECT WEEKNIGHT DINNER

(i serve it over cauliflower rice)

lettuce wraps

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submitted these designs to minted
i would love it if you took a moment and voted!
here | here

(fingers crossed)

 

something i read, ate, created #19

i have spotted lots of great resolutions these past few days, 

but i am LOVING this one . . . 

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my new favorite night time treat-- 

thank you 100 days of real food for the yummy recipe!

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i am really digging lined envelopes right now-so for our christmas card this year i knew i had to work that into the design somehow . . .  i will spill my lining secrets later this week!

something i read, ate, created #18

i found these words last week on pinterest   . . .  this is my mom {i love her knocked knees} and one of her bestest and oldest friends!

{i could not find the original source}

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easy. yummy. healthy. 

yes, you can have all three at one time!

{recipe from the 17 day diet}

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henry became a big brother {again} last week. his dad and bonus mom welcomed OTTO WILLIAM into this world! every little guy {and gal} needs their own stationery, right?

SOMETHING I READ, ATE AND CREATED #11

i am not an Oprah Magazine subscriber, but i do buy it once in awhile . . . i really liked the May "aha moment" with LeeLee Sobieski where she talked about taking a break from technology. I couldn't find a link for it online, but i did find another blogger that summed it up pretty well  . . .  read about it here!  i am on my computer WAY TOO MUCH and it's something that i do think about . . . 

do you take mini breaks from technology?

 {phone, computer, tv}

my friend emily {who is also the best massage therapist in the whole wide world} 

gave me this recipe . . .YUMMY!!  thumbs up from my kids too!

i just listed these in my etsy shop . . . 

sometimes you just need a little notecard!

vintage valentine's day cards

with valentine's day right around the corner i wanted to share a couple cards from my collection

1. a valentine my mom gave her grandparents

2. a die cut valentine that was given to my grandpa from his teacher

3. still friends with her after all these years

4. i love seeing my mom's hand writing from when she was a child 

and the sweet little illustration she included

5. my mom had a very special relationship with her grandma

warms my heart to see this note

Holiday Gift Ideas

This year for Christmas, I am giving my nieces their own set of personalized stationery {my own kids too}. I don't think I have ever given them Pretty Girl Stationery. Can you believe it? I have been doing this for almost 10 years so I thought it was about time!  {they have a mama that believes in handwritten thank you notes, so I know they will get used}


Looking for a fun yet practical gift . . . this may be just what you are looking for! {how's that for a sales pitch?}