What are you doing New Years? New Years Eve?

I LOVE that song, especially by Ella Fitzgerald.

Here's a bunch of cute ideas for New Years Eve that I found via Hostess with the Mostess, Design Love Fest, and Martha Stewart. I hope our New Years is as lovely as these photos

Handmade Parade is Open for 2011

We've re-opened the Etsy shop with some fun stuff for New Years! Check it out, you can do local pick up too, so you don't have to pay for shipping!

It's My Party And I'll Cry If I Want To

After a few mishaps and a few frustrated tears, it's time to celebrate my birthday!



Eryn took me out and did a little quickie mini session for my big 26th. I can't wait to see what's gonna happen this year!

Merry Christmas from the Watson Family

Here's a little insight to what our holiday consisted of:









And last but not least, guess what I got.......


Wohoo! Serious crafty goodies coming soon!

Very Merry Neighbor Gifts

I'm taking a break from my mini hiatus to share the recipes from my neighbor gifts I FINALLY gave out today. We gave a mini cupcake sampler filled with Vanilla Peppermint cupcakes, Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcakes, & Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. I figured someone might want the recipes after trying those little tasty morsels.

***On a sidenote- just for your information, as I finished typing "morsels" there was a devastating crash, and a ear piercing scream (either from me or Braden, not exactly sure which) and my mom's stand mixer was lying on my tile filled with beignet dough for tomorrow's Christmas Eve Brunch. It was kneading my dough with the dough hook and the centrifical force (which may or may not be correct terminology, I'm no scientist after all) pushed the mixer right off the counter, on it's own. So now I have ruined 2 mixers, since mine almost set my house ablaze in an electrical fire trying to knead bread dough. Sakes alive, it's been a long day.

Oh, and my beignet dough was just fine, thank you very much.

Merry Christmas to Me!

Guess what I got today for a Christmas present

Yay Latte Bowls! Latte Bowls Hooray!

I also got tall & short glasses, & wine glasses!



Now I need to pick out some dinner plates. I can't decide whether to go fancy




or classic basic white plates.

Hmmmm, decisions.

Happy Holidays

I'm taking a much needed vacation to regroup, brainstorm, and come up with even more fabulous things for the New Year. I'll be popping in at random to share some fun stuff, but I'll back FULL FORCE soon so prepare to have your mind BLOWN

What makes my heart feel super happy

Sneak Peek of a New Project

Happy Birthday to Momma Suzy!

It's my mom's birthday today. She is such an inspiration to me and is the most wonderful lady I know. I love love love her to pieces.

My Christmas To Do List

It's now the 6th day of December (already?!?!?! Wasn't it just Thanksgiving? Why am I still eating Thanksgiving leftovers? Is that weird?) Let's see how I'm doing on my December goals:

1) Actually put up Christmas Lights (unlike last year) : DONE!!! Hip Hip Hooray!
2) Decorate my whole house: Getting there, slowly but surely
3) Bake presents for neighbors
4) Create family holiday recipes
5) Donate to a food drive
6) Pick a Christmas Angel to buy presents for
7) Get all our holiday shopping done BEFORE Christmas Eve (unlike the past 5 years Braden I have been together)
8) Play Christmas music all day long: My kids know about 10 songs by heart now (except Olivia says/mumbles 70% of the words wrong. "Oh Christmas Reef Oh Christmas Reef, mmnmhhmnmnhn branches!")
9) learn how to play at least one Christmas song on the piano with my kids
10) Go Christmas Caroling (my favorite thing because I can't sing) & have hot chocolate
11) Do Secret 12 days of Christmas
12) Go to Midnight Mass
13) Watch the Grinch movies with the kids
14) Read them a Christmas book every night: Not every night, but we're getting there
15) Make an advent calendar for the kids to play
16) Write letters to Santa
17) Make Santa cookies
18) Make gingerbread houses & people: We made the dough last night and will cut out our shapes & bake today! I used this recipe, they taste fabulous
19) Watch The Nutcraker: We're combining this with the one below
20) Have a Sugar Plum Fairy Tea Party with the girls I can't wait for this one! I'm gathering inspiration & supplies and it will be amazing!
21) Get a real Christmas tree & decorate it with the kids Yay! We did this one last week and it looks so good! And Hip Hip Hooray for shatterproof ornaments!
22) Get mini trees for the kids rooms
23) Do Christmas pictures
24) Send out Christmas cards BEFORE Christmas (are you seeing a pattern?)
25) and last but not least, ENJOY the season this year instead of stressing and missing out on the spirit of the holidays. Not doing well on this one. I've had a stress headache for a week now, but I'm trying to breathe through it all.

We still have a ways to go, but I'm determined to have fun this week, and get even more stuff crossed off my list. I'm stilll trying to decide on what gingerbread house I want to make. I'm thinking a 60's post-modern gingerbread house designed by some Scandinavian renowned architect


Or I should go buy this book




Oh the choices. All I know is it's going to be fabulous. Mark my words.

Christmas Loveliness For My Kids & Yours

We made these gorgeous Pink Peppermint Necklaces for my girls' Christmas outfits. There are two extra that will fit big girls (and adults) that I'm selling for $35 to the first people who claim them. Just click on the Buy It Now Button on the sidebar to purchase your Pink Peppermint Necklace!

***Update***Sold out! Don't worry, we're frantically making more and will be putting them on Etsy this week

Dear Santa Claus

Here is my Christmas List for this year. Oh please oh please oh please bring me one (or all) of these treasures.

I want a Silhouette digital craft cutter so bad I can't even handle it. I am sick to death of meticulously hand cutting everything I make and think of all the amazing things I could make with this baby. Sigh.



I am OBSESSED with these Hardcover Penguin Classics Books designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith. They would look so good in my bookcases.

I really want Nicole Gerulat's textbooks. They are bound to be gorgeous and will be really helpful with everything I do. I especially want the Photo 101 and the Illustrator 101.



I'll take these latte bowls in white please. They're a nice inexpensive gift ($5 each!) that will be used and used and used


And I need this apron STAT


And Cake Stands. Lots and Lots of Cake Stands. Like these white ones:

And these white ones

And these black ones


And these cupcake ones.


And these white Compotes


Ok, I'm starting to get dizzy and should probably go feed my children instead of window shopping. You know I could go on for days.

Trimming the Tree and Decking the Halls

We spent all day yesterday getting our house fancied up for the Holidays. I bought so many gorgeous things at Scrapbooks ETC from some of my favorite Bloggers new lines like Dear Lizzy's Christmas





I think I'm going to try and do a Daily December Scrapbook since I was a total loser and peetered out on my 365 album. I suck.

photo from Liz's blog

I also bought some of Margie's Tinsel & Twig snowflake ornaments and I am in LOVE with them. So freakin cute.


And look at her CHA booth! It's decorated so cute! I want to snatch all those ideas and use them in my house!

Video from liveteachcreate on YouTube

Also, I must share with you this discovery courtesy of Rhonna:


Persnickity Prints. They are MAGICIANS people. I ordered these prints in Metallic Ink and they are seriously hands down the best quality prints I ever gotten. And, they shipped to me in 3 days and it was only $5 shipping. Amazing. My house is going to be swarming with gorgeous metallic prints. Come over and see!