Easy Christmas Card Clothesline featuring Stephanie Boutilier designs...

This is so old school Christmas décor, its practically up there with wrapping your hanging picture frames as gifts..

Look we live in a white paint minimalist world but there's some classics that should never die.. what's more important, your perfect IG photo? or those excited squeals provoked from old fashioned Holiday traditions?..

Everyone right now is like, "IG photos".
lololol.

Well, I think there's still a place for Christmas card clotheslines so I'm bringing them back!
HA, I think there's still a place for Christmas cards!!
Am I the lone card sender left standing?!?!

I will admit, I use to send cards for every holiday (Valentines, st. patty's, Easter, summer postcards, Halloween, xmas) and since having 2 kiddies that's definitely fallen short, which is sad because now is when I really should be updating friends and fam.

But I still go big at Christmas!
I'm hoping to have them out by next week, I always cheat a bit and use the kids photo with Santa as the 'family photo' now..
It kills 2 birds with one stone, pushes me to get my Santa photo done early, head straight to make copies and then there's no excuses not to get those cards in the mail.

I've also gotten lazy and switched my lengthy personalized life update to:
more or less..

All the best in the New Year!
Love, Nick Holly Elliott Noelle & Pets

but you know what..
You just admitted to skipping cards all together. so get off my back!
(I'm also lumping into our Christmas card Noelle's birth announcement. LOL)
(surprise she's cute! she's also 6 months old.)

Ok, back to the clothesline.
This stemmed off of an idea I had last February where I wanted to give Elliott a Valentine advent calendar. I strung two piece of twine low in our kitchen, found the cutest little mesh baggies and heart shaped clothespins at the Dollarstore, then filled them up with chocolates from February 1-14th.
 

This is the same concept but I will be adding cards as they come in the mail vs eating chocolates daily. Equally joyful, less calories.
 

Of course I used command strips as the anchors.
If you don't use command strips everywhere in your life, you need to start!

These were the tiny clear hooks so I could easily loop some twine around them and they're sturdy enough to support a growing selection of cards.
 

I decided to go ahead and glitter my tiny clothespins..
I picked up the clothespins at Michaels craft store FYI but the dollarstore may also carry them!
I also used twine I had on hand but any variation of string thicker than thread would probably work.
 

I had these 3 extra fine glitter from Michaels as well, so I swiped a little Mod Podge glue on the clothespins and dipped them in the glitter.

I did seal them afterward with a protective spray, also Michaels.
I just wanted to make sure I could re use the clothespins and save my floors from as much glitter fallout as possible.

Now those cards!
Eeeeppp they're just the cutest aren't they?!?!

All cards featured in this blog post are made by Stephanie Boutilier (click me!)
I am so addicted to her work, its slightly ridiculous that I bought all those cards and plan to keep them for myself. but I'm a selfish card hoarder. lol

I ordered the Christmas cards thinking I would frame them, do a little Christmas gallery wall but after pricing frames there was just no way I would want to spend the cash on a gallery wall that was only going to be up for such short term. That's when I was reminded of the Valentine advent calendar and honestly if I was investing money somewhere I would rather order more cards and ditch the frames. (but if you are rich, Christmas card gallery walls would look amazing!)
 

I first stumbled on Stephanie's work when my cousin sent me this Cape Breton Pizza card..
and I just cannot explain to you how much love I have for it.
 

I am going to frame it to hang in Elliott's room because if you are from Cape Breton (maybe New Waterford area ;)) I think you will get how important CB pizza is.

Big Daddy's pizza was my Nanny's 'The Jessie Special' and I've said before how I've brought back whole pizzas (to Halifax, 5 hour drive) buckled into my backseat.

I've also brought back those pepsi with the 'made in Cape Breton' stickers on them.
brought. back. so. many. pepsi.
just for the sticker.
(I prefer Coke honestly)
 

Anywhoo, a selection of Stephanie's cards are also available in stores:

Cape Breton -
la quaintrelle North Sydney
Farmers Daughter Whycocamaugh
Emerald Isle Sydney
Celtic Sisters Aulds cove

Halifax -
Duly noted
inkwell
Argyle fine art
Dilly Dally Coffee
Piccalily at Pete's Frootique

Dartmouth-
The Trainyard General store
The Dart Gallery

(click on any name above and it should take you to their site/address)
 

Alright its 1am folks so you know the drill, ignore grammar and pretend my jokes are funny..

But do you send Christmas cards???
I think we should bring it back big this year!
Who doesn't love a little surprise snail mail?!?!
Slice a little sliver off of your gift budget and save that cash for Christmas card stamps, I think people would appreciate the effort! I do anyway :) 

Easy Glitter Bulbs DIY...

Over the next few weeks I may blog without any words..
because every Christmas post I'm about to share is 1. EASY, 2. PRETTY!

You can basically translate what I've been up to by just looking at the photos but for the sake of pinterest I will include minor word-age. :)

 

Oldie style Christmas bulbs; we all have them and love them.
They're very nostalgic but they do burn out fast..
I have a solution for that!

I went to Michael's craft store and picked out some beautiful fine glitter. $6 a tub

Then I went to the Mod Podge section and holy cow - options!
I just grabbed the original as I would be covering it with glitter anyway.

I poured some glitter into a disposable bowl, used a foam brush to coat the old bulb in a thin layer of mod podge then used a spoon to sprinkle the glitter on. (at first I rolled the bulb in the glitter but I found it more efficient to sprinkle the glitter with a spoon)

*Put on YouTube and repeat this glitter bulb method many times.
 

I picked up this $8 wreath at Michaels, heated up the glue gun and started arranging.
 

I could have started with a plan here but knowing me, I didn't.  lol

I knew I wanted the wreath to be 'full' looking and the only way to achieve that was to place the bulbs everywhere! so I went a bit bulb crazy and eyeballed every open space, hot gluing where needed.

I also picked up a cheap pack of burlap rosebuds if you look close you can see a few, and I found this was helpful for filling space but not distracting from the bulbs.
 

I tied some twine to the wreath, placed a tiny pre made bow on top..
overall I am so pleased with my little DIY!
It's simple but impactful.
 

More than anything I am obsessed with these little sparkle bulbs.
I'm finding they are suitable everywhere!
They add that little bit of bling but still feel so classic and old fashioned.
 

I have more DIY Christmas posts coming up but you can see most of everything I do over on Instagram stories and weirdly twitter has become a love of mine!

I think I will also start dumping some things over at the FB page! because why not?!?!

What other easy, peasy holiday décor can I do?! forward me some pinterest ideas!

Paying it forward, Giving Tuesday with Clean Foundation NS...

A couple of weeks ago I had asked my personal Facebook page for some suggestions of big or small charity work, donation spots, cheer up ideas, thinking of 'you before me' style ideas/events that I could do with Elliott.

I really want to start the tradition now before he catches the 'I WANT, I WANT, I WANT' bug (which he basically has already lol). I think its just early enough for him to mildly understand what we are doing and how it helps but also early enough that he will never remember a time we didn't do it.

I was BOMBARDED with ideas!
like, holy cow when did y'all become such saints?! (LOL)

But really, I was suggested so, so many amazing ideas and was honestly so heart warmed and inspired to do more. There will be quite a few posts coming at you about our 'give backs' so keep an eye here and on my social media pages.

For now I'll share our first event and you guys can take part if you want as well!

Clean Foundation NS is kicking off Giving Tuesday, November 28th 2017 with a virtual bottle drive in support of Environmental Education.

You can watch their Superhero Cat Eddie, on Facebook Live at 1pm and 6pm.
He will be saying Thank you to every kid who donates their recycling money to the EnviroED education program, which brings environmental superheroes, puppets and scientists into the classroom and teaches children key ways to live and enjoy a sustainable future!

Basically, cats, kids, education, earth, giving, there's not much in this first 'pay it forward' task that I'm not into!

As I was explaining things to Elliott he was super excited but he's excited about the word 'superheroes' in general so I'm not sure how much he absorbed after that, but still I can't wait until Tuesday to get him online and seeing Eddie in action. (& hopefully getting a shout out! ;))

I will attach some photos of good ol' Ed below and will mention with a donation of $250 (the cost of a workshop per class) you get your very own Eddie plush to take home!

*This post is in partnership with Clean Foundation however I truly am in the season of giving so the thoughts and motions are all my own.

A day in the life + free stuff bloggers get..

I got cha with that title didn't I?
Well stay tuned and I will dish the details but first, a day in the life..
 

 

Is this not the most Kanye style mic dropping 5 month old you've ever seen??
 

I'd been having a really tough time with Elliott and his 'three-nager' mood swings so I mentally had to prepare myself last night and say out loud: Tomorrow will be a good day. I will make it a good day.
 

Come 10am I had a massive headache (non three-nager related) and weirdly we were out of pain relievers so I decided to take the kids out and grab some at the store.
 

Thankfully Elliott was being pleasant & we made it in and out quickly so I decided to take them to Tim Hortons as a little treat.

Elliott loves being in public and I am half debating how to introduce the 'stranger danger' concept to him. The poor boy LOVES people, he thinks everyone is his friend. He shouts across the van when I'm driving through take out windows: HI!! I'm ELLIOTT! I NEEDA TALK TO YOU!
 

No different this time..
He received a special cup and some freebie timbits.
He makes friends wherever he goes & whether you want to befriend him or not, you'll be friends. lol
 

It was still early so we did the playground!
 

Nolee Bean had a death grip on that timbit bag!
 

Speaking of her, she will not stop rolling!

You can't trust this kid anywhere! She is crazy mobile and I can't wait until she can crawl, I'm hoping it gives my arms a bit of Noelle independence!

2pm:
By a small miracle I was able to shower, then both the kids fell asleep, YAY!
45 minutes to do my hair, makeup and head out the door.

As per usual I was super late but I had a Sunglasses Hut Black Friday event to attend at The Halifax Shopping Centre and nothing was going to hold me back!

Nicks work week basically totals 60 hours give or take, so I wrangled my babysitter into an evening shift and I got Mommy only time - YES!

Now onto the blogger talk!
I never know whether I am stepping out of bounds by telling you the behind the scene details?!?
Is there a written rule or something? unwritten?!
Like a blood bloggers oath because I've never been sworn in, so I'm about to spill the beans...

I was invited to the HSC for a special Black Friday 20% off media event.
This particular event was giving out drinks/treats, a $50 gift card, plus swag bag.

Honestly I would attend events just for the cupcakes!
They always seem to have the best CC and dessert spreads.

But its always nice to get a little extra incentive as you are actually working for the company, sharing the info provided with your following, possible testing/reviewing/recommending etc.

Anywhoo, this particular event was awesome, and I am not just saying that.
I think the staff was delightful.
Maybe I just lucked out with a super adorable sales women but we talked about kids, beauty, sunglasses, food, fashion, I honestly would be friends with her and will probably go back to the Sunglasses Hut just to check in. lol.

They were helpful and attentive without being bothersome.
 

The Black Friday Event will be on-going for you guessed it, BLACK FRIDAY! And obviously not the swag bags/gift cards but 20% regular price is still a great deal to grab those down south sunnies. 

That’s all I could think about while I was looking at the glasses, how badly I wanted a pair for everyday of our upcoming Dominican trip. 

Unfortunately my tastes are Prada, Gucci, Sex and the City name brands.. 

But glasses were all gorgeous, ridiculously beautiful.
You guys know I have a sunglasses addiction anyway and I definitely could've gone home with so many pairs..

but I really have to refrain from self shopping!
It is about 1 month away from Christmas and now is the time to buckle down.
 

These children's Ray bans are so beyond cute though, I may have to splurge this summer when Elliott is old enough to take care of them.
 

If I did pick anything up, you know the place I would show it off would be IG stories because that way I can block any potential giftees from seeing what I got for them!

Giftees? Giftos??
What's the word for the gift getter?!
Because it's midnight and I'm exhausted...

leave me a comment with giftee, gifto on one of my social medias if you read this because it will make me laugh out loud.
No explanation, just giftee, gifto.
xo

5 Month Milestones with Nolee baby...

My little Nolee is 5 months old!

We are big fans of nicknames in this house, examples:

Noelle:
- Nolee
- Noel (no-Will)
- Knowles
- Bey
- Baby Beyoncé

Elliott:
- El
- Elli
- Lelly
- Lell
- Elli belly

Nicholas:
- Nick
- Nicky
- Nickybear

Holly:
- mom
- mommy
- mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom.
- Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmoooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmm.

So my little Nolee bear is 5 months old!
Whoa, how?!?!
I know.
 

She is actually the cutest thing ever, she is super happy and the chubbiest cheeked little fat head.
 

She looks exactly like...
 

This guy ^

I mean they twin so hard, its painful for me to look at them together.
actually painful.
because it's so strange that a baby can look so much like someone else and someone of the opposite sex so, what's she going to look like pending adulthood???

will they still look the same??
it's going to be so freaky!
 

We started her on some solids and it's been going well!
It has only been about 3 days so I can't say for sure how much has made its way into her belly but we tried to get some cereal into her and she's smooshed around some avocado.
 

That face! ^

She is an excellent traveler (sleeps the whole time) and loves looking around when we're out in public. My kids definitely know how to play the cute card for passersby, they put on a good show. lol
 

I have to say, so far Noelle is no Elliott.
I don't know if its the second child, girl thing, just her born personality but she's way high maintenance and doesn't seem to be detaching from me at all.
 

She loves sleeping on me, being with me, looking at me.
I try so hard not to stress over it because she's only small for so long and excessive cuddling isn't exactly a death sentence for me....

but, at the same time, SHE MAKES ME SHACK WACKY. LOL.
I feel like all I do it talk to her and switch which position she is in my arms.
Every second of the day is a balancing act of keeping her happy and its actually funny.
If she ever has a moment where she's content and I'm not around I'm wondering why she's content and I get nothing accomplished. lol
 

Elliott was practically a 180 from that.
He didn't like to cuddle, he was happy doing independent things for at least 20 minute stretches at a time, he slept through the night so early on.

Basically everything I just said about Elliott change to the opposite and you have my little Nolee..
Nolee baby, Knowles, bey, beybey, BeyBe Beyoncé.
and I wouldn't trade her for the world!
 

*Oh. also, she's going to be about 6 feet tall.
where did my kids get their height?!?!?