Happy Christmas Eve everyone! Christmas Eve has always been my favorite day of the year, even more than Christmas Day. It’s the magical, sweet, candlelit calm before the storm of flying wrapping paper and stockings pregnant with Reese’s and little goodies. There are candlelit hymns sung in my small home-town church, followed by snacks and board games with friends, cousins, aunts & uncles—it’s truly the most magical day of the year for me and I can’t wait to get home tonight!
Pennsylvanians do some weird things, and no matter what it is, we totally embrace it as “part of our Dutch roots.” Whether it’s saying phrases like “all the further,” indulging in whoopie pies, or hiding pickles in our Christmas trees—we love our weirdness. Today, I’ve got a new one for you: his name is Belsnickle. You may have heard the name before, or even seen him represented as someone like Santa Claus or Father Christmas. Belsnickle comes from our PA-Dutch folklore. It’s said that he would visit children for two weeks, starting the week before Christmas, switches in hand. Yeah…you read that right: switches. (Continue reading…)
This quick and adorable tutorial is perfect for hostess gifts, grandparents, or for your own table. These half-circle Christmas tree napkins are more interesting than a square napkin and sew up in a jiffy! There’s a ton of different ways to fold them too! Below I’ll teach you how to fold then how to sew half-circle napkins, starting with a simple Christmas tree fold!
(Continue reading…)
Even in my 20’s, I still get nightmares…often. One night, my husband wondered if doing something like embroidery or reading before bed might help. After a few nights of passing out less than one paragraph into Jobs
After a week of fabulous giveaways and turkey-eating, I thought it would be fun to kick back with a little tutorial! You can whip up this placemat in a jiffy for under $20! It’s sure to make your plates look fabulous without dishing out cash on an expensive charger set! The best part is that you can customize it to match your colors! Let’s get started, shall we? (Continue reading…)
Welcome to December: The whirlwind of holiday dinners, parties, family gatherings, cookie baking, and card sending. Christmas Cards. The thought of wrangling Steven and I up on a Sunday afternoon, getting the perfect pose, the right smile, and good lighting seems like a bear. Don’t even get me started on how expensive cards are to order! Every year I scroll through the endless pages of cards on Shutterfly or Snapfish, and decide to make my own cards—I’m not about to spend $1.50 on paper…I’m sorry, but that’s all it is! (Continue reading…)
Happy Thanksgiving! Now lets get to Christmas! I get so excited to decorate for Christmas every year—it’s a great refresh for the whole house and allows you to have more fun with decorations than ever before! And honestly, I can’t wait to get home from Thanksgiving dinner and get started—and I know you’re sitting there nodding your head, getting ready to go and decorate yourself, but first let’s go over some rules to make decorating for Christmas a joy! (Continue reading…)
The Christmas tree drops needles every time someone breathes, and the presents are piled up under the tree…still. You love Christmas decorations, but it’s probably time for them to go. STOP RIGHT THERE! I’m going to show you how easy your winter decorating can be this year. So, put down the forsythia wreath and back away slowly—it’s not spring yet!
“Presentation is everything!” This is something my dear friend, Gizella, always said. Whether we were carefully placing plucked mint leaves on the rim of our iced tea glasses or wrapping a gift, she was always making sure that things were “just so” and teaching me how to do the same. Today, I’m going to help you make your Christmas “just so.”
Christmas decorating can seem daunting, especially if you are low on time and money. For our first Christmas I was tempted to go overboard with my time and budget, but I found that using what you have can go a long way! Whether you’re decorating on a budget or last minute, I hope this sparks your inspiration!
