Fave Finds: Xmas edition

It's that time of the year! A few ideas I found on Pinterest to make the season a little cuter and merrier!

How cute is this DIY Christmas Decoration? Wonder if I can find that Jolee's pack of stickers.


Teacher Gifts $5 and under  - this guide will come in very handy for all the teachers I have on my list.

Another list, Christmas Stocking Stuffer Ideas, that will come in handy when it's time to fill those stockings!

We'll have to make it out to one of these this season, Top 9 best Christmas displays in Massachusetts. Two years ago we made it out Springfield and that was awesome!

Another good list to have on hand is this handy 20 Photos you should take this Christmas.

White Chocolate Peppermint Potato Chips looks like a delicious treat for the holidays.

Two great ideas for cupcakes that are easy yet look amazing, going to have to try this Christmas Tree Cupcake and this Christmas Light Cupcakes.

This Christmas Tree Cream Cheese Danish looks easy, delicious and kid friendly for Christmas morning!

Enjoy the season!

Fave Finds: Father's Day edition

Father's Day is around the corner...my boys and I are brainstorming ideas for DH and came up with the following ideas plus a bunch of other items we thought were cool, such as...
This Dash-cam/GPS that is on DH's wishlist...looks like a really cool toy.
These tie pins are super cute and cool but wonder if DH would actually wear them...if not, I do have 2 other boys in the house that probably would.
This Watermelon BBQ Grill is too much work for me but it looks so cool.

There is also Grill Cupcakes that are absolutely adorable but definitely way too much work for me.
Kaisercraft has the perfect rub-ons for Father's Day layouts...gonna have to get my hands on them.
DIY ready has some great ideas for DIY Father's Day cards.
A list of cool books for Father's Day...Darth Vader and son look really interesting.
At the bottom of this page is a really neat Dad Rocks craft perfect for toddlers to DIY with mom.
How cool are these wine tags for dad? I would need beer ones for my DH but I love that they're available for downloading.

Fave Finds: Mother's Day edition

Maybe I should re-name this Fave Finds post to a "I Want" post...want to make, want to do, want to get, want to go...or maybe we'll just call this my Mother's Day wish list. Some of these are for my backyard...we put up a fence for Diego last year and my goal is to get it spruced up this spring/summer.

I think a cute rustic DIY "welcome" sign would be a great addition to the backyard.

A bench to park ourselves on...this one would go in the front to hang out on.

Baseball season begins Monday and I'm pretty sure I NEED this chair...can't find it though :(
A fun card to card-lift and there's even a sketch to go with it. Do share yours if you make one!
A quote that I have printed and a permanent fixture on my inspiration board for when my crazy child drives me up the wall!
After using the cuttlebug to die-cut about a thousand crazy birds and parts, this brand new Vagabond 2 is on my wishlist...in fact, it's sitting in my cart...yes?
Another baseball mom want...a baseball wreath...this would be cool on the front door.
The National Cryptologic Museum...it's on my list for our trip to Baltimore

Lastly, a girl can dream and this adventure is definitely on my dream list...12 things you should probably know before going to New Zealand!

Fave Finds: Spring/Easter

Since I officially have spring fever...I am going to share some of my favorite Spring Finds. I have been bouncing between gardening, spring cleaning and Easter...so don't mind if I bounce around a little here too.

I need to build one or two or ten of these little homes around my backyard.

Spilled flowers landscaped into my yard would be so much fun too.

And this spring, I will be expanding our little butterfly garden...it's so much fun to sit and watch them stop by for a visit.

And in between gardening and landscaping, I'll be spring cleaning! Starting with my Keurig!!!

Then onto our new front-loading washer...I'll start before it smells funky.

And these reusable swiffer duster cloths look easy enough to tackle with my finicky sewing machine.

Spring Cleaning and re-organizing go hand in hand so this list of 31 ways to organize with dollar store stuff will definitely come in handy.

I had to add in something scrappy so here is a list of FREE Spring fonts. 

Last but not least, some fun things to learn and explore this season...more for little kids but I'm sure I can get my boys to participate in a few on the list.

Fave Finds: Lunar New Year & Valentine's edition

The Lunar New Year falls on February 8 so I thought I'd do a combination New Year & Valentine's edition Fave Finds post.

In love with these Lunar Animals stamp set from Mama Elephant

Maybe these Paper Fortune Cookies will make a dent in my paper stash. I'm thinking this would make a great gift in a takeout container filled with fun or inspirational quotes.

Some fun Chinese New Year traditions to try...my boys' favorite are the hong bao's!

If you're into horoscopes, here is the Chinese Zodiac 2016 Horoscope

Can't go wrong with Free Valentine's Day printables to decorate with. 

Great ideas for a Valentine's day photo shoot...I especially like girl with umbrella photo series.

Another great sketch on the Sketchabilities blog...too bad they shut it down in the fall.

Totally going to make these Star Wars Valentine's for my boys!

And for a yummy alternative to Pad Thai, try this Malaysian Char Koay Teow dish.

Fave Finds: Winter Edition

1. Love the colors in this layout from BHG...it's also part of a slideshow of other great layouts perfect for scraplifting for winter sports layouts.

2. Nothing like a list of 50 Ways to Make the Most of Winter to help chase away the winter blues.

3. Need to make these DIY hand warmers ASAP. I know they sell hand warmers but it seems like such a waste to be throwing them away and I only use them for a total of 2 hours.

4. An infographic list of how to spice up your hot chocolate - I'm thinking I need to just go down the list and try them all!

5. It is 6F outside as I type up this post and we, me and my boys, will have to head outside when they get home from school to blow Frozen Bubbles!

6. Essentials for snowshoeing...this caught my eye as it's something I've been wanting to try for a while. Any of you snowshoe? Any tips for me?

7. I meal plan and Mondays are SOUPER MONDAY *insert eye roll from my teen boys* and I love this list of 29 Cozy & Delicious Soups to Make this Winter.

8. This card caught my eye and I just had to share. More details on the card can be found at Joyful Creations with Kim.

9. Melted Snowmen cookies...need I say more?

Fave Finds: Handmade Gift Edition

I am pretty crafty and love to give handmade. Since I started knitting, I always have grand plans on knitted gifts and it doesn't really ever happen. Maybe I should start in January, hah, but I am going to attempt a few. Here are a few hopefully quick and do-able handmade gifts that I have on my list.

1. These DIY Notepads look easy enough with scrapbooking paper. A Beautiful Mess has a different  take on DIY Notepads.

2. Letter Photo Art have been on my handmade gift list for the longest time...I even have photos to spell out our last name but could never find the right frame. Love the idea of smaller frames attached to a bigger piece. 

3. I've made one of these scarves, and it was quick and easy. Maybe I can handle one or two before the holidays.

4. Customized shirts are super easy gift if you have a Cricut or Silhouette and a stash of heat transfer vinyl.

5. I doubt I am fast enough to tackle this Knit 10 gifts in 10 days list but I'd sure like to try.

6. These Marbled Clay Ring Dishes would be a nice gift for the ladies.

7. Another knitting gift, this "The Big Hat" for my fellow crossing guard friend with the

reflective yarn.

8. Monogrammed mugs filled with hot chocolate is another quick and easy handmade idea. Not ready to hand draw, then cut out a monogram using vinyl on your die-cutting machine.

9. No time for handmade...how about making a memory instead? Here's a great list of memory-making ideas.

Fave Finds

Good Morning! With the start of a new season, I usually sit down and set goals. The goal this year is to have a good work-life balance. I do have a pretty awesome one right now but there are a few things that I would still like to tweak. Mainly the amount of time I spent on the computer and on my devices. I would much rather spend that time with my family, reading, knitting and scrapbooking! With that goal in mind...
- emails will take a little longer to get a reply...I am going to try to check it twice a day, before and after my day job.
- the iPhone...ugh...I'm just as bad as my kids. No hard plans but I leave it on my nightstand as much as possible. So if message or text me, I may not reply right away.
- this blog will still get updated but not as frequently. I'm thinking posts on Monday, Wednesday, Fridays and some Sundays. I may post more often if there are things to share but otherwise, I'm sticking to that schedule.

Now that I've gotten that out, a Friday post...something different from the Fave Five and Nailed It posts...Fave Finds. Just a compilation of things that I've found on pinterest or the web that I think are cool and want to share with you.

a business card stamp - genius

loving the idea of fruit and yogurt parfaits for breakfast

this is contender for this year's X'mas card except it looks like a TON of die-cutting

gorgeous & colorful sheets from IKEA

anchor set-up how-to = no more drifting when we're out fishing

beautiful FREE digi + printable back-to-school cards from Simple As That blog 

quote and print - just perfect

want to try this Crock Pot Beef Carnitas recipe

Another freebie - a cut file for the silhouette plus a DIY mist tutorial