It's inevitable...what goes up must come down.

As joyful as it is the deck the halls starting December 1, I dread taking the decorations down. It has to happen but I put it off as long possible. I want the joy of the holidays to last as long as possible. This year we were rushing to finish some renovations so the decorations went up late and we didn't even put them all out.

As I was packing up the decorations we did put out I decided that it was a opportunity to put my resolution of living with less and organizing what we choose to hold on to. I started with the basement decorations, moved to the main floor and then picked up all the stragglers spread around the house.

1. You touch it, you decide on it- Did you use the decoration this year? If not why? Is it worth keeping? Do you really like it? Toss broken decorations, items you don't love and anything that no longer suites your tastes. Do you really need every single Christmas card from the past 10 years? Keep only what you really love and make the decision right then and there. If you think about it for too long you can justify keeping everything. If it doesn't speak to you right away, you can probably let it go.

2. Organize it- Put the decorations that go together together! Simple right? Apparently I thought I was doing this but not all that well. After getting rid of 10 years of Christmas cards and that old M&M candy dish that has been kicking around for awhile, I packed the mantel decorations, miniature tree and the other downstairs decorations into one tote (yes ONE! Do you have ANY idea how difficult that was?! but it felt so good!|) and then...

3. LABEL IT!- I can't stand digging around looking for stuff. Any place I work, the first thing I make sure I have is a label maker. Yup...priorities. I found some fun Christmas fonts on Pinterest and made new (as in I never had anything on there before) labels for the side on the tote detailing the contents. If I were going all OCD I would have literally listed everything in the box but in the interest of being practical (I did have the A1 and A2 underfoot) I generalized. For example after I organized the main floor decorations, the label for that tote looked like this:

Adhere the label to the box with packing tape. totally encasing it to give it some durability. If you use cardboard boxes instead of plastic totes for storage use a plastic sleeve to hold your label so that you can easily change the text without ruining your box.

Now all that is left to do is put your holiday decorations back to their storage home. Ours live in the crawl space which is my hubby's area. I believe they all go in one corner but honestly only he knows his system in there and I don't plan on touching it with a 6 foot pole. 

A few extra minutes of work now will save you hours when the holiday season comes back around in 10.5 months. Plus I've gotten a head start on that weight loss thing! I feel lighter after getting rid of the stuff that has just been hanging on for the last few years!

Christmas snow

It was a white Christmas afterall!

I wasn't so sure it would happen. We had snow and then rain and then snow and then rain. Typical Halifax weather but then the weather started to settle nicely in place. Christmas Eve it was mild but not too warm and Christmas morning there was a Christmas snow falling.

Ozzy sprinkled the magic reindeer food and left the carrots on the lawn. I just loved watching his excitement.

Zoe is loving running in the backyard! I have never seen a dog love the snow so much. We spent some time playing in the snow with Nanny and Aunt Janice.

Oz is wearing his new monkey hat from Blue Frog Creations. One of the many locally made gifts that were under our tree this year.

I hate being cold and I don't usually like the snow, but snow at Christmas just feels right. The kids are loving it and I'm thinking we'll be in for a sliding adventure before the weekend is out :)

Merry Christmas to all!

'Twas the morning before Christmas and Hermie was bundled in his hat, scarf and boots. Ready to return to the North Pole to tell Santa if littles were good enough to get their loot.

They were wound up and excited, sleep was not coming 

So we read more stories and Momma debated the Gravol, off to dreamland these two would not travel!

Finally they snoozed and the elves got to work, wrapping presents and filling stockings, eating the cookies and milk...when one little child awoke from her sleep. All movement stopped not a single soul creeped.

She drifted off to sleep once more and then the elves called it a night. The tree was well stocked, the Christmas music played and now we waited for the morning's first light.

His eyes popped open, "IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!" he exclaimed, and he shot out of bed as if his arse were on flame. He threw open doors and woke the whole house, he ran down the stairs and he started to shout.

They were both so excited it just so much fun.

Merry Christmas to you all, each and everyone!

The Countdown is on- to a GIVEAWAY!

The weekend before last was what I like to call the official Holiday weekend kickoff!  It didn't go nearly as planned or how I had it all worked out  in my head. Usually we take in the Parade of Lights, kick back afterwards and watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and I start really planning Christmas gifts. This year we ended up not going and then by the time we figured out we could go it was late and we rushed to get to the city.By the time we got there the parade had started and there was just no way we were going to make it to our usual spot on Barrington street. Instead we ended up in from of the Casino struggling to get the kids close enough to see. Thankfully a friend of ours was also down by the Casino and had a good spot so we were able to hook up with them.

Austin danced, Amelia ooooh'ed and ahh'ed and Santa was the highlight (well the reindeer for Miss A.) We hustled and bustled to bring my nephew home and get the kids to bed, I made a dress and then hit the sack myself. No movie, no hot cocoa, no list.

I need a list night do-over. I love making my holiday list. Who is going to get what, what items I need to make, when I need to start, the whole shebang. I love giving gifts. I love thinking about each person on my list and trying to figure out what would make them happy. It may be a gag gift that makes them smile, something thoughtful that they didn't even know they needed or something practical that they know they need but never pick up (yes SH you are getting a silicone spatula...) I get pure enjoyment from seeing people smile.

It's time for me to add some new names to my list- my readers!

Thanks to all of you, my blog has been gaining a lot of momentum. I can't get over how many people are reading my babblings, pinning my projects and recipes and sharing what I have to say. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am truly grateful and I wanted to give you back some of the joy that you have brought me. I called on my awesome circle of crafty friends and starting November 28, I'll be hosting a countdown to Christmas giveaway! I can't wait to share these gifts with you and best of all all prizes will be awarded on Dec 13 so you can have them in time for the holidays!

I'm excited and you should be too because this contest is open for US/Canada citizens! (Some items may require additional shipping charges depending on location)

Merry Christmas!

The Jingle Dress

I love Christmas fabric. Usually I can barely decide which fabric to use when I'm designing my holiday dresses. This year I wasn't having much luck finding a stand out fabric when I walked into the local fabric store and saw this gorgeous Ann Kelle fabric on the shelf. I couldn't resist the little birds in their Santa hats!

I love the fit of this dress. Amelia is very comfortable and loves to wear it. I love the elastic at the waist, neck and sleeves that give this dress a great fit.

took awhile for our model to warm up to the camera

I love me some polka dots too!

Everything about the dress just screams fun to me. And that is what the holidays are about, fun and family. This dress wears and washes well. I love that I can thrown leggings and a long sleeve shirt under this and she can wear it over and over. Dresses are fun and all but they have to be able to be worn for more than for pictures, church and the holiday dinner.

The little red shabbie comes off the sash and can be used as a hair clip too. Do you love the hair band? I do! Shelley created it and I just love the bling. I'm so thankful for my very talented cousin and friend Andrea for taking these shots. We had a reluctant model and I was sure there might have only been one good shot in the bunch. I'm not exactly sure how she managed to capture all of these.

Seriously...this girl kills me!

The dress is now available on our Facebook page and I'll be listing it in the Etsy shop soon. I'm so exciting to share this adorable dress with you!

A few of my favorite things- Christmas at the Forum Edition

The sweets aren't even all gone and the Halloween decorations are still up but it's already Christmas craft fair season. Christmas at the Forum has always been a highlight for me and, while it has changed it terms of the type of crafter that has set up there I found a few gems last night. The craft show is still on until Sunday, November 3 at 5pm. If you are in the area go check it out and snatch up these gifts if you can!

HomeGrownGoods

Mandy has her awesome playdough, crayons and chalk for sale...and these awesome chalk mats {that's a total plug by the way...I made them for her :) }She's got great gifts for littles who like the create and I love that the playdough doesn't have any chemically stuff in it.







Stitches that Bind

Seriously cute dolls, wallets and bags. Amelia already has a super hero doll but if she';s good I think Santa might bring her a ballerina!







Blue Frog Creations

I picked up a new coffee cozy!!! Last year I grabbed two snowman cozies for gifts because I loved mine so much. I decided that December coffees will need a reindeer the keep my hand from burning. I also picked up a pot scrubber. She has an amazing selection of hats too!




Pink Bucket Designs

Krys makes awesome personalized (and practical) item. See this placemat? It's for Santa's cookies and clearly I bough one for my kids. There is a spot for them to write Santa a note. She makes dishes, cups, placemats, tags...you name she makes it. I'm excited to pick this one up and a countdown calendar too (See A1 &A2's little names are on her sample!)





M & A Doggie Delights

Homemade doggie treats and dry treat snack bags. She has a great selection and I know a few fur babies who will be getting these :)


East Coast Momma Collective

There are too many creative mommas to list  but you really need to check out this collaborative booth! I picked up some artwork by Jack and Jill and fell in love with a bunch of signs by From Heart Creations and so many gorgeous items you are bound to be able to find something for anyone on your list! Little Lemonade Stand has some gorgeous bunting there. I love mine and this is your chance to grab one before she runs out!







Ella's Cottage

I loved everything she had at this booth and then it got better...I was admiring her fabric selection and she told me that she sells the fabric...as if I needed another source to feed my addiction!!! And I consider PEI local so even better.. I can't wait to check out her selection. I wish she had a picture of her mustache quilt on her facebook page. I didn't get to grab a shot and it was beyond gorgeous!

Laughing Pear Soap Co.

I bough soap. All natural COFFEE soap! They use coffee grinds from a local supplier in their coffee soap and I was very impressed this morning. It doesn't have an overwhelming coffee scent or anything and my skin feels amazing! I will be buying more of these soaps for Christmas gifts. Love her packaging and company name too








I am trying to support local whenever I have the chance and I found a few new favorites at the Forum this year. I hope you get a chance to check it out! 2 for 1 admission Saturday night- grab a friend and go!