Category: Create
Create, Holidays

Springtime Snack

February 20
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After a long day of yard work on what might have been the most beautiful February afternoon I can remember, I whipped together an easy snack for grab and go munching.  It really wasn’t much, some sparkling waters and mini cookies & marshmallows.  It kind of reminded me of a s’more minus the chocolate!  But what that simple snack really did was inspire me to make an even better one the next day!  This incredible warm spell in the dead of winter is making me believe it’s already April, and even though I know Easter is a long way away and it most likely WILL snow again before the springtime holiday arrives…I’m going to go ahead and enjoy some sneak peeks of the new season to come!  So today I’d like to share this sweet and EASY snack that you can serve in the days leading up to Easter…or whenever you want a little treat!  Get hoppin’ and whip up some…

bunny s’mores mix

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Create, Holidays

Easy Valentine Treats

February 9
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Valentine’s Day is only a few days away!  But it’s not too late to still think about preparing special snacks…there’s plenty of simple fixes to make a treat table pretty even if it’s last minute!  Making food look festive can be so simple and create a holiday display that’s Cupid worthy in a matter of minutes!  I love simple snacks for any time of the year.  And as much fun as fancy desserts can be, using traditional favorites can be equally tasty and often times nostalgic too!  So keeping it short today, let me share with you some favorite supplies that can transform the ordinary into something pretty sweet!

spread the love…

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Celebrate, Create

Dreaming of Spring

February 6
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It’s only February, and I really do enjoy the winter months snuggled up by the fire in a fuzzy throw, but I also have to admit that I’ve been doing a bit of spring dreaming these days!  Maybe it’s because we’ve been teased with some warmer temperatures every now and again, or it could be I’ve been thinking ahead for springtime crafts and projects…but no matter the reason I’m getting a bit anxious for the signs of a new season to come!  I’ve also been fortunate to have some projects on my horizon that have springtime written all over them…so my desk & craft table are beginning to look a lot like the season is already here!  I’m so excited to be working on these new ventures which also brings me to announce that I will be changing up my blogging schedule starting this week.  Usually I wait until school is out to change to my summertime post schedule but I’m switching it up early this year to make room for these new & exciting adventures!  Beginning today I will publish regularly on Mondays and Thursdays.  You may still see an occasional “Friday Favorite Things” or a “Friday DIY Day” popping up here and there, but my new consistent days will be moved around a bit!   I’ve also been dragging my feet on reopening my Esty shop but it’s time to get that baby up and running too!  Since I handcraft all the Giggle goodies from mostly found items, managing an additional Esty inventory separate from Alice-Louise Press was daunting to me.  But with lots of encouragement I’m getting geared up to work out the kinks of overseeing both and FINALLY reopen this spring!  So, I have springtime on the brain for several reasons!  And today I’d like to share a sneak peek at one of the projects you’ll see next month…the fresh look of a new season with the added fun of some inspiring collaborations!  I’m really excited to share it all…but for now you’ll have to settle for a little tease!

springtime soiree in the making…

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Celebrate, Create

Game Day Fun

February 1
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So I think it’s fair to say that everyone knows what’s happening on Sunday evening…even those of us who don’t really follow the NFL know that this Sunday is the big daddy of football!  I may not know much about the game itself, but living in a house full of boys I have learned to love watching football games…once in a while!  And when Super Bowl Sunday rolls around we plan some family time centered around the TV and food!  We bake up a BIG tray of buffalo wings for game night…and it’s most likely the only day of the year my husband and I splurge on the messy goodness!   It’s such a special game but always falls on a school night which keeps us from hosting big parties…so I often serve some game day snacks that are extra festive for our family celebration!  But this year, besides the wings which are now a must-have tradition, I’m trying to keep it a little lighter, healthier, but still decked out in football style!  It’s only a few days until the big game…let’s get ready to party!

super-duper Super Bowl snacking…

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Create, Savor

Sending Sunshine!

January 27
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Each winter we receive a package on our doorstep…it’s a fun little box of sunshine!  My parents spend the winters in sunny Florida…wonderful for them and not so bad for us either since we always have a place to stay!  But while we wait for spring break to arrive we get that special treat in the mail…a little early taste of the sunshine state!  The special treat I’m talking about is some tiny loaves of carambola bread.  What’s carambola you might ask?  Well you might recognize it by its more familiar name “starfruit”.  That funny little yellow fruit that when sliced looks like tiny stars!  Not only is it wonderful to receive the sweet treat but the story behind its special delivery is equally as fun!  A friend of my parents has a carambola tree in her back yard.  For the last several years it was becoming too much for her to keep up with the prolific production of fruit it would bear!  So my parents stepped in, picked it until it was clean…then baked up a storm!  There have been so many loaves baked that my parents, their friend, and all the other neighbors just couldn’t eat it all…this is when the special deliveries began!  Sometimes, depending on how much fruit was produced, we would also receive more than we could eat…so I gave a couple away.  Now I have some friends hooked on the stuff!  The best part is that I too get to be a deliverer of some much anticipated “sunshine”!  Let me share with you the recipe and a fun & easy way to dress it up as a gift!

special delivery…

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Create, Holidays

Hand Out Smiles!

January 20
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My boys are past the days of creating and handing out those adorable classroom Valentines…but that’s no reason to stop making some simple tokens of love for all the special people in your life!  I don’t make bunches of love notes anymore either, but I still create some fun little gifts for my family and a girlfriend or two!  I want to share a really fun DIY valentine that you could make for kids or adults…and with plenty of time to get your hands on the goodies I created them with!  Have a look at a whimsical way to make someone smile on Valentine’s Day!

#makesmesmile

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Create, Holidays

A Little Paper Love

January 16
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I had so much fun with all the paper hearts in custom colors for my sun room the other day…I actually went a little crazy customizing the rest of my home!  I LOVE decorating with paper so much because it’s really inexpensive and you can make a simple display look like a million with very little effort!  And since the papers for my raspberry and black sun room decor were from a scrapbook supply pack, I had plenty more patterns to choose from to create some Valentine joy for my living and dining rooms too!  The other day I bought an adorable garland of glitter arrows and hearts at the Target dollar spot…it’s so sweet but I was really hoping to use some spring inspired colors for the holiday this year.   So the purchased hearts became a template for all the pretty paper ones I cut from the pad!  Take a peek at how a little paper can add lots of love…

paper and strings make wonderful things…

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Create, Holidays

Friday DIY-Day!

January 13
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Happy Friday everyone!  Valentine’s Day is just over a month away…but it’s never too early to start thinking about fun holiday crafts!  I have a really easy project today that anyone can create…really!  I was inspired by some friends on Instagram who shared how to make a festive Valentine wreath…and I merely put my own twist on it.  I love to be motivated this way…in fact, we’re all inspired in one way or another by those we admire or creations we see on all the wonderful media outlets we have to gaze upon!  I hope you too can find some inspiration today to recreate this craft or change it up to make it just right for you! So take a look at this simple and seasonally festive DIY that will steal even Cupid’s heart!

shot through the heart!

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Create

Tissue Pom Tutorial

January 6
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Not sure how you feel about decorating in January but after all the holiday celebrations are over, my house seems a little bare!  And even though there’s a part of me that enjoys the new simplicity, I still can’t help but miss the festivity, the twinkle lights, and the pops of color!  I’m so conflicted about how to make that transition from over-the-top to next-to-nothing…do I go all-out Valentine’s Day a titch early or stick with some seasonal snowflakes until the time seems right to invite cupid in?  Seems a silly thing to get stressed over so I decided to fall back on one of my favorite decorating go-to items…pompoms!  I often make a cluster or two of those happy, paper poms to hang around the house.  If you make them yourself they can come in an endless array of colors making them perfect to brighten your spaces or make any party extra festive!  I happen to use them whether I have a reason to get festive or not…they add a splash of color to my home and just simply make me happy!  When I posted some pretty pastel poms on Instagram yesterday I got a couple of inquiries about how to make them.  I know I’ve demonstrated in the past how I create my poms…but since friends were asking and I was making some anyway, I decided to give another quick and EASY tutorial on how to make these joyful little things!  So in between the winter and spring holidays you might be seeing plenty of poms in my home!  Let me share with you how I DIY…

easy-peasy pretty poms!

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Create, Holidays

Tag It!

December 19
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Christmas is getting closer and if you’re anything like me this year…you might find yourself a bit behind!  Nothing wrong with that though!   In fact, it can be fun to finish all those final touches later in the month…it’s so festive in the house with the tree finally up and possibly some snow on the ground.  What better time to get in the holiday mood!  But that said, it’s easy to fall under some stress worrying about getting everything finished.  If you’ve got some wrapping to do, I’d like to share some simple gift tag fun!  Good for much more than just labeling a gift…you can decorate with them too!  Gift tags can be just as festive on a tree or on the table!  Take a peek at some last minute Christmas fun…and make your season bright!

more than just a label!

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