Gift Guides

Shamrockin’ Printable

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Just in case you don’t want to get pinched, here is a quick little shamrock printable for you.
Look cute while sipping your Guinness or dancin’ a jig!!
My very foxy Irishman is taking our girls to a Father Daughter Dance on St. Patrick’s day. He went out and bought them the sweetest green dresses, and I think these little shamrocks will make a cute “corsage” for the girls and a dapper boutonniere for Sean.
Pop on over to Ellinee  for this free shamrock printable!
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Sweet Paul Spring Issue!!!

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I have been a big fan of Paul’s ever since I was introduced to his first digital magazine back in 2010. His sense of style, the clean and beautiful photography and the original content he shares in each issue keeps me looking forward to what he has in store for the next season. Paul’s spring issue is impressive and loaded to the max with brilliant, fun and delicious ideas.

I am especially excited about the recipes….there were several I am looking forward to trying. Some looked a bit intimidating, but after reading the ingredients and instructions, they actually look fairly easy and very doable…not so intimidating after all. yay!

Thank you Sweet Paul, you are a pretty amazing fella!

Sweet Paul Magazine

Sunshine and Rainbows

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What could be happier than a rainbow?

I’m one of those people who loves rainy days…I watch the forecast and look forward to the rain. The smell in the air, the way the lights look in the house when it is kinda dark outside, and as a runner I prefer to run in a light drizzle. I know, weird huh?  I am also that person who loves a crystal clear sunny day where we stay outside all day…I think I just don’t like the in-between days, you know, kinda cloudy with no rain and just dreary. The ideal day is a light rain in the morning, so I can run in it, then the sun peeps through and the rainbow magic begins!

Having girls who truly believe there is gold at the end of the rainbow makes things even more magical. They also believe in little leprechaun’s who are after that illusive pot of gold! I found a fun project that gives you a guaranteed pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

This clever little project comes from one of my favorite blogs, Hostess with the Mostess. Jen St. Claire of Little Sprout Creations  was the contributor for this fun idea at Hostess with the Mostess. She was also nice enough to include a link to her free printable gift tags!! Yay!! The tags make it extra special!! Have fun!!

1.The Rainbow Room

2. The Lucky Elephant

3. Without the Rain print on Pinterest ( There is no source for this print so if anyone knows where I can find it I will make sure to include the link.)

4. Rainbow pops

She believed

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You know when you read that thing you needed to read when you needed to read it? Well, this is it for me. It’s so simple…just believe you can and then do it! Believe in the gifts God gave you, the gifts that make you, you. As my girls are growing up, I want them to feel confident in their gifts and talents and not be afraid to be themselves. I’m pretty sure everyone wants that for their kids, and for themselves. I can’t wait to buy this print and put it up in their room as a reminder to just believe!

She believed she could so she did print by Valentina

For the Fellas

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This post is dedicated to all of us that might struggle with gifts for the fellas in our lives…. husbands, your Fantasy Football opponents, dads, brothers, your crazy neighbor who loves to drink Mas Cervezas, and your co-worker who loves to drop f-bombs…whoever they are, they may enjoy a little something a bit quirky and off-beat.

1.F-Bomb paperweight / 2. The Very Manly Varieties of Beer Print

3.Cast-iron tool bottle openers / 4. golf umbrella

Gifted

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http://issuu.com/creaturecomforts/docs/giftedmagazine2011

I have always been a bit of a magazine junkie, and now that I have been introduced to online magazines, I am a pretty happy girl. I’m thrilled that so many of the online magazines are focusing on smaller businesses and hidden little gems that most large, glossy mags don’t spend much time featuring.

I woke up
way too early this morning, 4:20 to be exact (it’s a Saturday morning, BTW, and my husband is out-of-town,) and I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I cracked open my laptop to take a peek at a few of my favorite blogs, and then I hoped to fall back to sleep. Well, thanks to Ez and her Holiday Gift Guide, Gifted, over at Creature Comforts; getting some extra sleep wasn’t going to happen.

Her Gifted issue last year was the first online magazine I had ever seen. I was in love! I
have been eagerly awaiting her latest issue and now it’s here, yay!

Happy
Shopping!

I Moustache you a question…

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Do you fancy a stache?

Tom Selleck, Burt Reynolds, Brian Fantana, Ron Burgandy, and soon my hunky husband, Sean, will be sporting one for Movember! BTW…if you’re not sure who Brian Fantana and Ron Burgandy are, I urge you to watch the movie, Anchorman. Hilarious.

 I laugh 60% of the time…everytime. Ron Burgandy is kind of a big deal.

Sean and a few of the fellas are growing out their Mo’s this month. I can’t wait to see how he looks, but we might need to be a little bit careful with the smooches. ouch. I think Sean is looking forward to doing this when he has a little to play with:

 http://www.youtube.com/v/GZ_fbECcNsA?version=3&feature=player_detailpage

I found a few moustache goodies for the ladies who would like to support the cause as well, and aren’t comfortable growning out their stashes.

1. Moustache necklace , buysomelove / 2. moustache studs, isette / 3. moustache pins, yummypocket

4.moustache pint glasses, modernmadness / 5. moustache koozie, rockwild / 6. moustache letterpress, Renegade Handmade

Have fun and stay classy.

Creepy and Crunchy

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The girls are very excited that PaP Pap and CoCo are coming to visit for Halloween. Mommy and Daddy are excited as well. P&C don’t mind hanging at the house and handing out candy, while we get to Trick or Treat with the kids in the hood and collect the loot. We just set them up with some snacks and a bottle of wine and they are happy campers.

As I was taking a look around Etsy, like I usually do, I came across some wicked…(wickedly awesome) finds.
I don’t think this Wicked Witch bookmark, by Woodland Honey, will work very well in my Kindle, so it’s a good thing I prefer real books. They also make bookmarks with elf legs that may make a great stocking stuffer. (Just thinking ahead.)
Beware of toxins, turmoil and Poison. These 19th century inspired votive candle holders, by Burke Hare Co. are creepy, cool. They also make some bewitching chalkboard frames…not creepy, but very cool.
I’ll have some Cap’n Crunch with a side of spider please. This whimsical pottery, by Village Clayworks is beautifully handmade with a side of humor thrown in. She has a cockroach bowl in her shop that might be fun for a good April Fool’s Day prank. Heee heee heeee.
Mummified Oreos, roasted pumpkin seeds and Spooky Halloween Mix may just be on the menu for the big night. I’m sure after we raid the girl’s candy stash we may be in the mood for something salty and crunchy!

Happy Bee Day

~ tracy obrien ~ 2 Comments

Happy Birthday, Tucker!

Our cute little nephew just celebrated his first birthday in a way that any little boy would love…at the park, on a beautiful fall day with loads of kids running around. Once we finished goofing around with the kids on the playground, we made our way over to the pavilion and I was blown away. My very crafty and very pregnant sister-in-law put together the cutest “Bee” day party.  It wasn’t the “cutesy” kind of party…it was tasteful and beautiful, not to mention, really yummy.

 Brittainy, my sister-in-law has a 3-year-old (barely), a 1-year-old and is due with #3 in January. I don’t know how she managed to find the energy to go hunting around in the woods to find the perfect sticks to make her little “hobo” bags. The bags were carefully filled with homemade biscuits…and what goes better with biscuits than honey? She made these simply beautiful “honey pots” from cute spice jars that she found at Crate and Barrel.  She topped it off with a Beehive Cake, (Brown-Butter Banana Cake and Honey Buttercream) topped with marzipan bees! The Birthday Boy got his own cake, which he patted for a while, not really sure what to do with it, but once he tasted it he was very happy! I was hoping he was going to look at me and invite me to dive into the cake with him, but it never happened. He said” hey lady, this is mine…don’t even think about it.”   So, I backed off and enjoyed the cupcakes!

Happy Birthday, big guy, Auntie loves you!

If you are planning a “Bee” themed birthday, or any theme for that matter, I have the girl for you! Elizabeth, at Swanky Press, has created a lovely Bee Birthday invitation… great quality and fantastic prices! She also has all sorts of cute ideas for parties in her blog, Simply Swanky.  Elizabeth has added lots of fun new things to her shop, customizable melamine plates, personalized aluminum water bottles…all sorts of cute things…I will stop talking now and let you take a peek!