~a kid friendly New Years party~

December 31, 2002 I gave birth to Cody Phillip Thompson.
He has been the funniest most easy going kid from day 1.
Happy 11th birthday Cody!

Needless to say, our New Years plans always involve birthday cake and presents.
I wouldn't have it any other way.
He had his "friends" party a couple of days ago, so tonight we are having family over for a low key
dinner party.

I got the dining room dressed up for the festivities:

I painted a black canvas with white lettering and added some Wendy Addison glass glitter numbers to the "bar"

After doing a ton of dishes I decided paper plates and cups would do just fine this year!
I purchased black plates and cups from the Dollar Tree and added white stickers to the cups for everyones initials.

Paper placemats will make for easy cleanup:

To see how I made the place card holders, go here.

Here is the rest of the dining room:

Happy New Years everyone!

xoxo

~top 10 posts since 2009~

It always surprises me to see what post get more readers than others. Take a look below and tell me if
any of these were your favorites.
Counting down starting with number 10:
FALL BAKING

Number 9:


LAUNDRY ROOM ORGANIZATION

Number 8:


SHABBY CHIC DECOR

Number 7:


DIY CHEVRON PUMPKIN

Number 6:

PUMPKIN COFFEE CAKE

Number 5:

DIY CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS

Number 4:

CHICKEN, BACON, AND WILD RICE SOUP.

Number 3:

HOW TO PAINT AND DISTRESS YOUR KITCHEN CABINETS.

Number 2:

OUR HOME TOUR.

And, the most viewed page……..Number 1:

PRICE MY SPACE.

That one shocks me the most! To view our updated master bedroom click here.
Would you all want to see a price my space on the updated room?

Today I have my last {hopefully} Dr. appointment on my foot which consist of a x-ray to make sure it's healing correctly. Then Savannah and I are headed to downtown Seattle to volunteer on the carousel. I will be posting pictures on instagram!

xoxo

~merry merry joy joy~

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

xoxo

~our Christmas card 2013~

This year, Amy Wimber took our photos for our Christmas card.
We went on some country backroads and took photos in front of cool old barns and
scenic places. It was a ton of fun and I love how the photos turned out.
Amy and I are related sort of, {she is my brother in laws sister} and is always willing to help us out with photos.
If you live in the area, I highly recommend her!

We ordered our cards through Minted again.
I am always happy with the quality and the
customer service, and the shipping is super quick.

Here is the front of our card this year:

And the back:

Each year I try and come up with a new way to display the cards we receive.
This year I simply tacked them up above our computer to the chalkboard wall.

At the top of the chalkboard I draped a garland I bought at Pottery Barn years ago. It's
all very simple, but I love being able to see everyones smiling faces out in the open!

How do you display your Christmas cards?

~a cozy handmade holiday gift~

The other night while watching the ball game with my hubby, he
told me that he would really like a good, big, soft couch blanket.

I guess I could have went and bought one, but I thought
making one would be even more special.

These blankets are so easy to make. Kids can make them, and with the cute free printable
{see below} I think these would make darling teacher gifts.

Here are the supplies needed to make the blanket:

6 yards of fleece.

{I got mine at Joanne Fabrics with a 50% off coupon, so the whole thing was $30.00.
They have so many different prints to choose from. Originally I was going to get a football theme, but I am boring,
so I stuck with the cream.}

Sharp scissors.

A measuring tape.

Ribbon, wrap, and a printable tag.

Start by cutting your fleece in half. I bought the non pilling fleece which is huge. You don't want your fleece to pill.

Wash your fabric. I was told it comes coated in formaldehyde, yuck.

Lay your pieces on a large flat surface wrong side to wrong side, very flat and even.

Cut a 5" square out of each corner and discard.

Now, starting from one side, cut strips of fabric approx. 1" wide by 5" long. These strips to do not have be exact. That is why this project is perfect for kids.

Next, tie each top piece, to each bottom piece, in a knot.

Repeat this for the remaining 3 sides and you are done! Shake it out, or wash and dry it again to get all the little loose bits of fabric off and wrap it up!

I found the cute printable tags here.

I also came up with this one that you are free to use!

Here's to a cozy winter!

xoxo

~TLC's Four weddings airs tonight~

Do you remember this past summer when I had the opportunity to work with the Four Weddings tv show?
Well tonight is the night that that episode airs, hope you can watch!
Here is a few sneak peaks from the episode:

The bride and groom~
Jenni and Ted.

I made the sign below for the giant fireplace mantle at Crystal Lake Lodge. The letters were purchased from here.

In keeping with the rustic feel of the lodge, and due to the fact that the budget for decor was next to nothing, I decorated very simple with natural elements.
I brought in round logs from my neighbors wood pile and topped them with mason jars filled with fresh flowers. I had dozens of roses donated by Pro Sports Club {thank you!} and the rest came from our garden, neighbors gardens, etc. To add a little flair, I tied scrap lace around a few of the mason jars. And of course candles, lots of candles.

They had a live band which I thought was pretty cool.

The bride and groom gave me these lanterns to use on the tables. I worked them in with a giant centerpiece of fresh flowers in vintage crates. I added pieces of slate to the crates, and each one said a different word written out in chalk. I made runners by ripping down large vintage lace tablecloths.

These gorgeous pillows were donated by my friend Kendra. You can find them here.

When you have such a small budget, donations are key! This custom print was donated as well. To see more, click here.

Another vintage crate with flowers, just outside the entrance to the lodge.

This Mr. and Mrs. sign was made by my niece. Check out her etsy shop here.

The bride and groom do not drink, so instead of alcohol they hired a barista to come in with his espresso cart. We love our coffee here in Seattle!

About a month before the wedding I found a huge box full of these carved logs at a garage sale! I could not believe my luck!
We used them everywhere throughout the lodge.

At each place setting I created these little favors for the guests. I got the brown bags at Michaels, and glued on lace trim that I found at yet another garage sale.
The "perfect blend" stickers were created by Paper Moon Shop and the bags are filled with chocolate covered espresso beans donated by Dillano's coffee.

The wedding cake as well as all the other desserts were donated by my good friend Margo of Pinkabella Cupcakes. The cake topper is hand made and was loaned to us from Over The Top Studios.

The food was amazing, catered by my friend Leigh of Alexas Cafe and Catering.

It was a beautifully sunny day, so we had some outdoor seating lakeside.

I created a photo booth area in a corner of the lodge. I hung a vintage frame, made a photo booth sign on some old pallet wood and hung a darling scrap fabric garland my mom made.

And now, for a bunch of random wedding photos…….

As the wedding was coming to a close, a hot air balloon floated by overhead.
Picture perfect.

The "other 3 brides"

Be sure to watch tonight, Four Weddings on TLC airs at 10 pm EST, 7 pm for my friends that live around here.

All photos courtesy of John Vicory photography.

xoxo