Archive for December 2012

Sandy Hook Memorial Fund

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Years ago, I found a group of women. We connected with each other quickly and supported each other through engagements, marriages, children, divorces, health issues, miscarriages, and anything else that comes up in 10+ years of being a circle of friends. Unfortunately, one of our special group is suffering a terrible loss as her nephew, James, was a victim in the Sandy Hook school tragedy.

She describes James as loving brother to his older sister, a thoughtful and considerate boy who loved math, recess, and his dad's omelets.  In his honor, her family has established a memorial fund. They are considering using the funds to build a baseball field in their community. They feel James would love to have his friends run around on "his" field.  If you are inclined to help by donating, I thought I would leave the information here for you.


James R. Mattioli Memorial Fund
c/o Newtown Savings Bank
39 Main Street
Newtown, CT 06470


Thank you and God bless you and your families.

Love,
Jenny

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Christmas House Tour (Warning--Insane Amount of Pictures)

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Welcome!  I'm so excited to finally have some Christmas pictures to share with you.  Let's go in, shall we?  I sound like a fancy lady, don't I?  Shall we venture inside my abode and partake in some holiday revelry and cheer?  Why I think we shall! 


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A Little Glimpse Inside Our Weekend

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We have been getting our Christmas on here. We baked and decorated cookies (chocolate!) and went to Sesame Place for their Christmas events. That was a bit of a nightmare mostly because it was so incredibly crowded that it took some of the fun out. We couldn't get into any of the shows and it was a 30 minute wait (at least) for each ride. Ellie was completely unimpressed and Molly enjoyed the rides she was able to get on.   Here are some pictures of our weekend!  Not all are edited, sorry.


Ellie likes sprinkles, ya think?











We also gave the girls a Christmas present. We give them an ornament every year so they will be able to trim their own trees someday with some heirlooms. We gave Ellie a gold rocking horse because she loves ponies and I chose a white reindeer for Molly. She loves Rudolph and I liked this guy's red nose.




Let's see...what else can I talk about?  Oh yes, Robert Sabuda. Are you familiar with him?  He's a paper artist and creates the most amazing pop up books. I scored a few at a yard sale in the summer still in their plastic.  They make lovely keepsakes for children and my girls enjoy looking at all the details in the pop ups.




There are my musings!

Cheers!
Jenny

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Christmas/Winter Wreath

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I wanted to have a wreath that would be appropriate for Christmas but would also take me through most of winter, including Valentine's Day. I think I did it!  What do you think?


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Amazing Christmas Decor

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 Hi Friends!
Can you believe I am still not decorated for Christmas??  We have our tree up and I'm slowly getting things together but I still have to buy some wreaths for the windows and roping for the banister.  So to get me in the mood I've been admiring all the Christmas decor eye candy that's out and about. Here are some of my favorites. I encourage you to please pin from the original source, not my blog. Thank you!!

BHG 




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Vintage Crates on Casters (Closet Organization)

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In the spirit of being a full disclosure blogger, I'd like to show you what has been lurking in our front closet. The closet that I insisted our new house have so that we don't have shoes and coats laying about. The closet I knew would help us stay neat and organized.  So here it is. And this is after we had tidied it up.



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Giveaway! Signs by Andrea Custom Art!

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Yesterday I showed you the artwork I designed using the Custom Family Rules design service by Signs By Andrea.  It was so fun and so easy to do! I had a blast trying all different combinations of colors, fonts, and wording. I used some of the rules Andrea provides and I also wrote some of my own.


The service is beyond easy and user friendly which I appreciate.  The finished design is emailed to you in different formats depending on how you plan on using your design. You can send it to a printing service to be processed or you can print it out yourself. I did both because I couldn't wait until my print came from the printer!


Now this is the best part. Andrea has generously offered 1 Free Custom Family Rules Download to one reader!  What a fun way to add something new to your decor! And for free! Bonus!

TO ENTER: 

 Go to the Custom Family Rules Artwork builder and build your own custom family rules.  Comment here telling which design is your favorite. (1 entry)
Become a follower of Days of Chalk and Chocolate (1 entry)
Follow Signs by Andrea on Facebook (1 entry)
and finally, blog, tweet, pin, or FB about this giveaway for another entry!


I'll announce a random winner on December 10th!  

Thank you, Signs By Andrea, for participating in the giveaway!

Cheers,
Jenny

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Creating Custom Art: Signs by Andrea

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I love love love all the typography art that is so popular now and I especially love the ones that inspire us.  I  adore the idea of having something in our home that describes how we like to live and reminds us of our values as a family.  That's why I was so excited when Andrea from Signs by Andrea contacted me, wondering if I'd like to try out her downloadable custom family rules art service. Would I?  Oh yeah!


This is what  I came up with. I had so much fun creating it using the easy process on the Signs by Andrea website because I could choose my background color, font, font color, and the rules I wanted. Andrea has prewritten rule options I could use or I could write my own. I used both methods and I am so happy with how it turned out.  It was so easy! 

Once the rules are completed you receive it as a file which you can print out or send to a printing service. I sent mine to Shutterfly to get printed in a large size but I couldn't wait and printed it out using my printer so I could hang it up right away.





I already decided that I'm going to use Signs by Andrea again when I go back to teaching in a classroom. So many of these rules are applicable there too!
Check back tomorrow when YOU have the chance to win a Free Custom Family Rules Download!! 

Cheers!
Jenny

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8 Glittery Christmas Inspirations

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I am so excited to usher in the holidays and I know you all feel the same!  It's a joyous time of year and I love the feeling of hope and welcoming of the babe, Jesus.  And yes, I love the glitz of the season too!  During this season let's be grateful for all that matters in our lives like family, friends, good health, glitter, Mod Podge, and book pages.

Here are some glittery, sparkle filled holiday and winter projects to inspire you to add some glitz to your celebration!

All Thing Beautiful created this gorgeous mantel full of icy decorations. I love the elegance of her mantel.  So beautiful!



A Pumpkin and a Princess used German glass glitter to create a pear ornament that shimmers and glimmers. That glitter is amazing, isn't it?



Those glass trees at Walmart are a hit and I'm seeing all sorts of great ideas to give them some sparkle.  Mom 4 Real used glitter and...well visit her and find out what she used to get the glitter to adhere!  Brilliant!


She's Kinda Crafty made these lovely napkins using a product I've never used before!  I will keep my eye out now though because the effect is so pretty!



Aren't these glitter pine cones so striking?  Blissfully Ever After didn't just use glitter to get these to have a look similar to Pottery Barn's!   So clever!



Pitter and Glink put her glue gun to work to make these sparkly snowflake ornaments. I love a decoration I can leave up for the whole season too!



Seaside Interiors shows us how blue, white, and silver create a festive Christmas filled home! 



Blue Roof Cabin gave her holiday mantel some sparkle!  The whole thing just seems to glow!  Love it!



Mercury glass adds the sparkle on Eclectically Vintage mantel!  Who doesn't love mercury glass?  No one!



Do you use glitter in your holiday decorating?  I have to add a bit more to mine this year!

Cheers!
Jenny

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