christmas cookies

i have made approximately 10 dozen of these cookies

this past week for several occasions.

hopefully there will be a few left for santa saturday night.

forever ribbon

i have absolutely no excuse to not have pretty packages.

this year, or next year, the year after....

found {last year} at a flea market for 5 bucks. 

the never ending roll of ribbon.

{love!}

a favorite place

eight years ago when we bought our home i liked it. 
i could see past the orange shag carpet, the kitchen that needed updating and so many other updates.

and the front, i didn't love, but worked with what i had.

and what i also had, was a dream.

a dream to change the flat front to something with more curb appeal.

and so we did.

we added this beautiful porch this fall.

i love it and it is now my new favorite place.

first time ever that packages delivered don't sit out in the rain.

or when guests come they are protected from the weather.

removing all the landscape prior to the project was a huge workout.

putting it all back in, including the rock path, was another huge workout.

but the satisfaction of doing things on your own...priceless.

i can hardly wait for spring!

christmas decorations

i pretty  much use the same christmas decorations every year. 
some years not everything gets used.
some, i add in something else that i love that was maybe in another room of the house.

keep it simple, use what you've got and maybe think outside the box.

i added some bibles and a cross this year.  getting back to the real reason for the season.

our entry table.  religious decor on the top shelf, presents on the bottom.  small indication to what is a top priority and what comes secondary.  so happy that when my oldest son saw this display, he understood it!

love my rosary hanging on this old garden statue.

pretty packages are always my all time favorite!

in the still of the night

i think i must admit.

that, the still of the night,

is the most favorite part of my day.

i try to stay simple.

but sometimes the days get too busy.

it is at the night, when the boys are tucked in,
and my small lights cast a warm glow,
that i relish the calmness.

i make the coffee for morning {knowing i am unapproachable without it},
ensure school papers are looked over and signed.
lunches made and a things are picked up.

i often sit, for a minute, and realize how lucky i am.
to have a beautiful home filled with warmth, soft glowing lights,
and an abundance of love.

take a minute, and count your blessings.
and then breathe....deeply.

small room decorating

so excited yesterday when i received the current issue of Small Room Decorating and to see my home featured on page 44.
such a lovely article, so well written by gloria gale.
on newsstands until Feb. 2012.

happy halloween

just a few shots of some halloween decor we've had up this season.
i try to keep it pretty simple, and not too spooky.
happy halloween!  enjoy the day.

garden clean up

the temperatures are dropping and on my list of things to do is clean up the vegetable garden.

today our visit to the garden resulted in what i think is sure to be...the last of the garden for this year.

my dreams of spring begin.

a beautiful day

we've had perfect weather here in the midwest for about the last 14 days.

the leaves are turning and falling like crazy.  i love this view out my window.

who says...

that an uber cool industrial sewing machine table from new york...

can't make an uber cool industrial kitchen island!



and with a drippy chandelier, moved from what used to be my dining room (oh yeah, that room has changed too!)  i am so in love with my kitchen again.

think outside the box and use what you have.  don't be afraid to switch thing around...it's cheaper than moving!

a trick and a treat

i have a trick and a treat for you today!
the treat is that after a month break from blogging, i am adding a post today.

just kidding, your treat is at the end of today's post. 

inside, outside, upside down around here lately. a porch project going on the front of the house. and with mr. traybella out of town last week, i rearranged everything again inside. i'll have posts on these later, but let's get to todays.

the trick: to buying halloween candy this early is to wrap it up!

in years past i have made halloween crackers and passed them out to all my trick-or-treaters. 

but this year i decided to change things up a bit...no surprise,

 i know {ahem}.

i purchased small paper bags (at michael's) and filled them with candy.

if i don't put the candy in something, i end up eating most of it by oct. 31.

then i buy more, eat more...you know the cycle.

i designed this cute little label for each of the bags.

simply taped it on, and stapled the tops closed.

the treat:  free printable labels for you!   just like the ones i put on my bags.   enjoy!

thanks for stopping in today.  i am glad i had something new to share!

for the love of wallpaper

hello, my name is kathi and i am addicted to wallpaper.
i know what you are thinking...wallpaper?  that is so yesterday! so 70's!

have you looked at a wallpaper book lately?

if you ask me, i think wallpaper has come a long way.  there are some beautiful papers out there and i also think they can totally make a room.

since i have closed my booth i have to admit i have days were boredom sets in.  so i am always looking for a project.  it is also nice that time is being spent on my home again and things are finally get done around here.

while waiting for paint to mix at my local sherwin williams i was flipping through wallpaper books.

and there it was.........O.M.G.....i was sooo in love.  i checked the book out and brought it home.  (even the cover of the book is a beautiful taupe linen...i wanted to keep it. forever!)

this lovely paper...isn't to die for?!  will soon grace the walls of my mud room/office.

but first.

i have to strip off the red plaid wallpaper (that i used to love and have since grown tired of it). 

i used to hang wallpaper professionally.  so it is nice that when i find a lovely (expensive) paper, i won't have the cost of paying a hanger to install it. 

but the stripping.  ugh.  it is hands down the worst part and it's why i have waited this long to get it done.  but with the little one starting school next week, you can know what i will  be spending my time on.

stay tuned...it may be awhile before i post after photos.

cheers, to the week end.

a pirate looks at 5

i love when the boys pick a theme to their birthday party.  it makes all the planning so much easier. 
so if you have a request for a pirate party in your future, i hope that you will be inspired by our recent pirate buccaneer bash!

the invitation:

i always try to do birthday parties on a budget.  so that translates to making my own invitations. 
start with a photo of your pirate and add some pirate verbage when telling the details.
print out and mail.  i also decorated the envelope by using rubber stamps.  i stamped a scull and cross bones on one end, and a X on the other.  with a sharpie pen i drew dash lines from the scull to the X, representing a treasure map.

the decorations:

 our party was mostly outside.  with some simple decorations, our play fort turned into a pirate ship.
i made the sign using poster board.  added cutouts of a scull and crossbones.  for the writing i just used chalk.  it was quick and easy!  the pirate banner was purchased at michael's.

 inside by the cake table i hung this pirate banner.  i made it by simply photo copying pictures from a pirate book i checked out at the library. 

activities:

 at 5, mostly all they want to do is run around.  i did have a few extra things for them to do.  most popular being 'walk the plank'.  who knew that a 2x4 drug out of the attic could be so much fun?!

 i had a station set up to do shaving cream painting.  the process is so cool.  if you have never done this craft, google shaving cream painting and be ready to be amazed.  so fun!  once dry, i popped these into dollar store black frames and they doubled as party favors.

the pirate pinata was 'a hit' {pun intended}.  filled with all things pirate: gold coins, pirate people, bouncy balls, and some candy, everyone took a turn.  one boy even wanted to take home the head.  

pirate bags to take loot home in.

grog and grub:

 i kept this simple by having a self serve snack table.  bags or cups work well here, everyone can just fill them up with what they want.  the favorite snack?  pirate booty of course!

 i am no professional baker.  but i aim to please when it comes to birthday cakes.  i was concerned when this years cake request was a pirate ship.  and said well by the 5 year old pirate himself ... "every pirate needs a ship".  probably one of the ugliest cakes i've ever made (due to some early morning mishaps...ahem) but the 5 year old pirate said "that's the coolest cake i've ever seen!"  nuff said.

 if you google pirate ship cake you can find all the directions on how to make this. 
cans of root beer are also good pirate grog.  we however forgot to put ours out, but i'm confident they had enough sugar by the time the guests left us.

that pretty much wraps it up!   with paper pirate hats, eye patches and beads at the cake table a good time was had by all.

hard to believe that my 'baby' is 5....happy birthday cooper!