Tag Archives: Pinterest

Christmas Card Books

Posted in Crafts & Creativity by

So, I’m curious…what do you do with all of the Christmas cards you receive every year, once the holidays are over? In the past, I’ve tried to come up with ideas of storing, organizing or possibly displaying the cards, after all, most of them are so pretty, I can never seem to just toss them. Of course I don’t keep the ones from the orthodontist or the insurance agent, but I have a hard time discarding the beautiful photo cards that we receive from our family and friends. I love to see how all of my friends’ kids are growing each year, especially since many live far away and I don’t get to see them as often as I would like.  Well in my search for ideas, as I was “Pinteresting” one day, I came across a very cute and simple craft to solve this problem…the annual Christmas Card book. And I do mean simple, anyone can make this, regardless of how crafty you may or may not be.

Once the books are done, you can either store them or display them on your coffee table every Christmas and browse through them.  There are many different versions out there, you can truly make them as fancy or simple as you prefer. So here are my favorites…just click on the links in the photos for the simple instructions on how to assemble your Christmas Card Book:

Christmas Card Books, click here.

Christmas Card Books, click here.

Another version of the Christmas Card Book, click here.

Another version of the Christmas Card Book, click here.

Another interesting version, click here.

Another interesting version, click here.

And of course if you don’t have time to or like to craft, this book is about as simple as it gets… just put all the cards through a 1-inch ring binder, tie some cute ribbons on the ring, and it’s done!

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Simple book…

This one is more of a Christmas Art Journal, but you can include your Christmas cards in it as well.  And again, you may embellish it as much or as little as you like.

Christmas Art Joural, click here.

Christmas Art Journal, click here.

What will you do with your holiday cards this year?  Do you have a special spot or way you display them, I’d love to hear!

Thanks a “Bundt”ch…

Posted in Crafts & Creativity, Food & Recipes by

Another school year comes to an end.  It seems like yesterday that my Caro was starting 7th grade, buying the new backpack, uniforms, all the excitement as to what the new year would bring, and all of the new memories to be made.  But, now she’s ready for summer and very much looking forward to the break.  For me, it’s always a time to look back and appreciate my daughter’s teachers, and what she has learned from them. While there’s always that one that was a bit difficult, (and makes us wonder why they chose to teach) overall, we have been fortunate, and my daughter had a great year, with some fantastic teachers that she really enjoyed and learned a lot from.

As I’ve mentioned, we are a crafty family, and we love to come up with cute, original teacher gifts, instead of the usual mug or pencil cup. In the past we’ve created scrapbooks, summer beach baskets full of goodies, etc.  We typically contribute to the end of year collection, but in addition, she likes to give each teacher something extra, just to show her appreciation. However, I thought this would be the year that we would not look for individual gifts, as she no longer has one teacher, but nine!  Boy, was I wrong. She tells me at the last-minute that we haven’t bought the teacher gifts yet and that we have to hurry up. What???  So we started brainstorming and browsing Pinterest, where I get a lot of my crafty ideas from. But most of the items seemed to be for teachers of younger grades, and we were running short on time.  So I decided to change it up this year, and perhaps get cupcakes or brownies, something that would be enjoyed, rather than just put away in a drawer.

Bundlet tower gifts

Bundlet tower gifts

That’s when I remembered a new place in town called Nothing Bundt Cakes (they sell nationwide). They make the most incredible, moist bundt cakes, in various flavors, such as Cinnamon Swirl, White White Chocolate, Red Velvet, and my favorite new flavor Strawberries & Cream, all topped with their signature cream cheese frosting. They come in several sizes, and in single servings, perfect for a quick gift or a party favor. Crisis averted.  I sent her to school this morning with all of the mini bundt cakes, wrapped up in cellophane bags, ribbons and cute tags, and she was thrilled! You don’t always have to spend a lot of money. You can have your child make something, especially the younger kids.  I think many people tend to forget how much our teachers influence our children, but I have a few close friends that are teachers. I know how hard they work and how much it means to them. Please make sure you thank your child’s teachers this year, a warm felt thank you can go a long way!

ourcakes

Different options for bundt cake gifts Photo Courtesy of Nothing Bundt Cakes

 Nothing Bundt Cakes
Pinecrest Location
9487 South Dixie Highway
Miami, FL 33156

Kendall Location
12030 S.W. 88th Street
Miami, FL 33186

http://www.nothingbundtcakes.com

Preppy Mama

Posted in Beauty & Style by
Photo Courtesy of The College Prepster

Photo Courtesy of The College Prepster

Browsing through Pinterest, as you can find me on most days, I came across some really interesting pins by a pinner named The College Prepster, who pens an amazing blog. I happen to love preppy styles, Lilly Pulitzer, Jack Rogers sandals (my daughter and I have had them in all of the colors of the rainbow) Vera Bradley, J. Crew, LandsEnd, and of course, anything that’s monogrammed!

When my daughter was little, she had tons of monogrammed hair bows, backpacks and clothing. This was especially true when we lived in Raleigh, where you could find shops that monogrammed in almost all the shopping centers in town.

Now that we are back in Miami, it’s a little bit different. But I’m always coming across preppy websites through Facebook pages or Pinterest pins, and when I found this cute list, (and there are many more of these cute lists on her blog) I thought I would share it with you.

Don’t forget to check out this website, especially for those of you with young ladies heading off to college soon, it’s full of great ideas and advice!  Happy Monday!

Mama & Me Journal

Posted in Crafts & Creativity, Family by

A few months ago, while browsing through Pinterest, I came across a very interesting item…the Mama & Me Journal.  This is basically a composition style notebook that you can create for your child and yourself, to write back and forth to each other, as if you were pen pals.  Sometimes, your child might feel embarrassed or even afraid to talk about some very important topics with you.  That’s why this notebook is perfect; as it allows them the freedom to ask questions or discuss concerns they may be having, (especially during the tough tween/teen years), without having an uncomfortable conversation with you. It’s important for your child to know that this is a private journal that only the two of you will be reading.

Even though my daughter is very open with me and we have some very honest talks, because I’m crafty, I really liked the idea and decided to try it out.  I found a cool pink and black composition notebook at Target, (you can use any type notebook or journal) and then downloaded the label from the original website. I then wrote my first entry, explaining how the journal works, and also as a dedication page.

Luckily, I discovered this project a few weeks before her 13th birthday, so I wrapped it up as one of her presents. She loved it and told me it was her favorite gift of all, and that it meant a lot to her.

For the past few months, we’ve exchanged journal entries. I also sometimes include insightful, interesting articles for girls her age, and I print them out and glue them inside the journal.  So far it’s going really well.  I know that she is enjoying it and I hope that she will look back in the years to come, and remember the things we discussed while she was growing up. Maybe one day she will create a journal for her and her daughter…