My Winning Cookie Exchange Tablescape!

Yummy cookies of all kinds were on display yesterday at the annual Christmas Cookie Exchange at Riverside Military Academy, where my husband, Steve, is a teacher. I had so much fun baking cookies with my husband and planning my "tablescape" for displaying our cookies there yesterday. Steve is a fabulous cook, he can make anything and everything he makes is delicious!

I"m sorry to make everyone wait for my virtual cookie exchange, but this has been a whirlwind week of activities over on MakeMinePink.com and here at home. I had planned to combine forces and get everything done this past weekend, but you know how those best laid plans can go. The plan was to bake the cookies and set up my display here at home ahead of time (so I could make sure it would be awesome at the school's exchange), take pics to post here, then take everything to the school on Wed.

Steve did get two batches of our cookies baked for me this past weekend, and I was up until 1:00 Tuesday night baking mine. So... I did the display on the fly with no rehersal, but thanks to the inspiration of my friend Dawn, of Hydrangea Home, I had a good idea of how I would create it.

It was so much fun to start setting it up and everyone was coming around and oooohing and ahhhing over it! I had planned a more elaborate setup, but the space I had to work with turned out to be too small for the snow scene I had hoped to build with white fleece and glitter and such, so I scaled it down and used about half the props I'd brought. Still, I won the prize for best display! A very large and beautiful poinsettia plant! I love winning!

So without further ado.... here's my winning tablescape:

Recipes to come shortly!

Cookie Countdown!

Join me and my Pink friends at Make Mine Pink for a blogging good time with our Christmas Cookie Exchange!

Starting December 3rd and throughout the week, we will be posting our favorite cookie recipes, talk about our family traditions, share photos of our Christmas Cookies, Christmas Décor and visit with all who post comments. JOIN US, you don't have to be a Make Mine Pink member to join the fun. But once you see how much fun we have, you'll want to cross over to the PINK side!

Leave me a comment and I'll visit you too! Please have cookies ready :)

Mamas Pocketbook - Fabric Pocketbooks, Romantic Accessories, Sewing Patterns#links

Mamas Pocketbook - Fabric Pocketbooks, Romantic Accessories, Sewing Patterns#links

OMG I'm Addicted to Paper & Glitter

Is there a 12 Step Program for someone newly addicted to crafting with paper and glitter? Maybe I should start one if there isn't!

I am seriously having too much fun making tags to go on my orders and shipments. I always stayed away from scrapbooking for this very reason. I just knew if I got into it, it would consume me! LOL!

But making tags makes me feel like a little girl again ... how fun!! Who knew that cutting papers and gluing shapes and making it all glittery would be so cathartic and inspiring? Well, probably all those of you who've been doing it while I resisted. HA! I am now one of you!

I'm loving these Amy Butler papers and scrapping goodies from K& Company! Currently I'm just making them for my own pleasure and to give to my customers with their orders and to friends. But I can certainly see why many of my PINK friends are adding their paper crafts to their boutiques ... or building entire boutiques around their paper crafting!! If this addiction grows I may have to add my own line of paper goodies to support my habit!

Each one I've made is different... I just got so inspired by these Amy Butler papers (that I got for 50% at Michaels this past weekend!) just grab some paper and little things, buttons, ribbon, pinking shears, glue, yarn, and this huge jar of fabulous glitter I got at Michaels. I must hide this glitter from my kids! IT'S MINE.... ALL MINE!!

Check out these awesome paperie offerings from my Pink Sisters:

My Oh So Talented Pink Friend ROXIE, over at JorabeelsInk.com has created a new line of awesome Card Cozies - perfect for gifts, gift cards, money cards, to hold your business cards, and many many other uses!

Somebody else has been playing in the glitter too! Look at what Carrie at Sweet Magnolia Boutique has sparkling and ready to help you decorate for the Holidays!

Gotta run ... but I'll be back with more helpful Holiday Shopping links so keep checking back everyday! You never know who I'll showcase next or what I might decide to do for fun around here!

OXOX

Let's Make or Buy Handmade for the Holidays!

In my recent dives into blogland I found this great site called BuyHandMade.org and I quickly joined in with my Pledge to Buy Handmade this season and to request that others do too! So here I am, encouraging all to buy or make handmade goodies to give this year during the holidays.

I love the new wave of interest in all things hand made, all the the Indie sites are amazing and so inspiring, Etsy is huge now and much more fun to shop than ebay. (and much more affordable both for shopping or selling!) Lots of my Pink Sisters now have Etsy shops, just take a look at my "hearts" list and you'll find their shops.

Lisa at The Domestic Diva's Disaster's blog was so kind to include my free "Pink October" tote pattern in her post on Monday in support of Sew Mama Sew's November event called Handmade Holidays.

You must visit this event on Sew Mama Sew's blog and see all the great ideas being posted all throughout November for handmade gifts. You could also win a gift certificate to the Sew Mama Sew online shop in one of their great drawings too!

And, the best place of all to shop handmade though of course, is MakeMinePink.com! The Little Pink Boutiques and Little Pink Plaza shops are beginning to fill up with the most gorgeous selections of Christmas and Holiday decor and gift items you've ever seen! Here's some sneak peaks...

From My Dear Friend Karen at Sweet Neccesi-Teas

And look at these beautiful heirloom stockings

from the very talented Carol at Clutter Bug Studio

Oh My!! Have you ever seen anything as adorable

as these Glittery Mittens from Ronda at Cherry Blossom Cottage?

I will post more of my Pink friends Christmas goodies throughout the month, so please visit their sites and shop handmade this year!

XOXO