Family Photo Shoot

Each year we venture out to our local arboretum

to get our family photos made. This year it was COLD

but we were all troopers and got some great shots.

Our dear friend Sandy, who takes beautiful photos,

was nice enough to brave the chilly weather with us.

Take a look at my precious little family.

And, oh, how Emma has grown

into such a sweet little (big) girl!

Some silly out-takes (more real life!):

And THE family photo we chose for 2010:

We Interrupt Your Crazy Week for the Following...

I had given myself permission to neglect my blog

this week in order to prepare for this craft show.

But then I logged onto Facebook and saw a link to

this post from Kellie at This Blessed Nest.

Everything changed and I had to find 5 minutes

to share this piece of HEAVEN with you.

Hazelnut Chocolate & Pumpkin Panini

She had me at Nutella and Pumpkin.

Take a moment to go wipe the drool off your face.

(Tell me I'm not the only one!)

Oh my harvest flavors.

Now back to your (my) regularly scheduled

week of craziness and mayhem.

Pumpkins and Panic Attacks (and a Winner!)

First things first.

The winner of the This Paper Ship

giveaway, chosen by Random.org, is Kimmie!

Look for an email from me soon. Congrats!

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •d

This evening we did one of our annual

fall traditions - visited the local pumpkin

patch and let Emma pick out just the right

pumpkin for our "pawch" ("porch" in Emma-ese).

Isn't my little pumpkin the cutest?

I couldn't resist sharing some of

these pictures. I love fall and pumpkins

and get so excited when I see Emma love it too!

Also, I've gotta share.

I'm in a bit of a panic right now.

I just got done doing something I swore I

would NEVER do. I cut my kid's hair.

I know. I know. How could I?

I survived the infamous bowl haircuts

performed by my mom in the 80's.

You'd think I would have learned.

But, you see, we were desperate.

Emma has taken up hair twirling and

started getting lots of knots - a few of which

I had to cut out after some horrific tug-of-wars.

So tonight we HAD to even things out and

get back to a length we could manage while

trying to un-teach the bad habit. My husband

swears she looks fine, but I'm secretly

freaking out that my little girl looks like

a soft featured little boy. Oh me.

Deep breaths, Teresa.

Where I've Been (and Where I'll Be)

Remember this post

about all the things I was putting off?

Well, during my lag of blogging

these last few days,

I've been playing catch up.

Plus helping put on a big event

at church and get ready for

this little sweetie's birthday

coming up this weekend.

So that's where I've been.

But where will I be?

Next week, I'm excited to tell you

that I'll be over here as part of

Heather's Handmade & Vintage Market.

She'll be hosting some awesome bloggers

and crafters showcasing some ideas

to help you kick off your holiday shopping.

Be sure to stop by and see what I'll be

sharing on Wednesday.

Then the following week, I'll be here

as part of Holly's Homemade Halloween.

She'll be hosting lots and lots of spooky

crafts, tips, ideas, giveaways and more.

You won't want to miss the boo-teaful

creep-ation I'll be sharing.

(cheesy play on words, I know.)

And once again here come some

excuses for why I may not make it

to once-a-day posting this week:

Consignment Sale at Church.

Family coming into town.

2 Year Old's Birthday Party.

Shop orders.

Holiday Bazaar fast approaching.

Don't feel sorry for me.

It's just MY fall craziness.

What's yours?

I'd love some comments to

keep me going this week.

Hope to post again soon.

MUAH!

PS - Just noticed this is my

200th post. Holy blogger, Batman!

GOOD DAY: New Hair & Goodies

With the start of fall, I've been itching to

get back to my darker hair color. The honey

colored highlights for summer were

great, but it was time to warm things up!

My hair stylist, Ashli, goes to my church

and I just love her. She does such a great

job that it's worth the 25 minute drive

to her salon. What do you think? I love it.

What could make my day better than a

fun new hair style? GOODIES IN THE MAIL,

of course! I was so excited to open the

mailbox and see a package waiting for me

from Mommy Holly. I won a giveaway

for $10 to her shop and look at all the

AMAZING stuff I picked out. I can't

wait to put them all into action.

Since Monday's are my half-day at work,

I've still got almost 2 hours before I have

to pick up Emma. I think a pumpkin spice latte

is in order. Don't you? Have a GOOD day, friend.

New Look & New Items (plus Giveaway)

First of all, I've got to say

how much I miss you all!

I have been struggling again

with the whole balancing act.

Spare time has been rare.

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

So, how do you like the new header?

With all my emphasis on fall and

halloween crafts and ideas,

I figured it was high time to

look the part, too.

I am also super excited to announce

the first holiday items of the year

from Good Day Designs!

Especially since it's been SO

rediculously long since I've listed

new items in the shop. Shameful, I know.

Check out these fun new gift tags:

And my clothespin magnets

have been a big seller at Hollyhocks

so far, so I decided to do some

red/green sets for the holidays.

Let's have some fun, why don't we!

I'd like to giveaway a set of my

clothespin magnets to a special reader.

You'll even get to pick the colors you want

and I'll do a custom set!

To enter, just leave a comment below

telling me what colors you'd choose

and/or how you'd use the magnets.

For extra entries:

(Please leave separate comments for each.)

Follow Good Day Designs on Facebook.

Follow Good Day Designs on Twitter

and re-tweet using @GoodDayDesigns.

Blog about this giveaway.

Good luck!

Winner will be announced next Saturday.

And with that -- good night.

Fall Fantasy

If I was dreaming right now,

this is what I'd be looking at.

And, if we're talking about fantasies,

it would be MY porch and MY front door

adorned with such glorious fall beauties.

But no need to get carried away.

For more "ooh" and "ahh" fall sights

from the Pottery Barn catalog and more,

visit Thrifty Chick Decor's post today.

GOOD FIND: Fall Burlap Wreath

I'm back from a WONDERFUL weekend

with my best gal pal. We had a perfect time.

As is the case lately, I'm playing catch up.

More to come soon (I hope!), but for now,

lay your pretty eyes on this gorgeous

burlap wreath just perfect for fall.

Via Craftaholics Anonymous.

Would anyone like to make me one?

:)

Etsy Fall Finds

It may not be cozy fireplace weather just yet,

but it sure is time to start thinking about it!

Here are some great Etsy Fall Finds I'm eyeing.

Autumn Accessories:

Knitted Shoulder Bag

Orange Flower Hair Clip

Silver Maple Leaf Necklace

Pumpkin Spice Ruffled Scarf

And cute stuff for the kiddies and crafters, too!

Fall Fun Goodies:

Friendly Ghost Clippie Bow

Keepsake Hoho Monster

Halloween Fabric Banner

Orange Polka Dot Tree Cutouts

Personally, I can't wait to get out my scarves

and fall colored accessories. What about you?

"Be Thankful" Canvas Art

I spent the weekend creating a few fall items

and wanted to share one with you today.

"Be Thankful" Canvas Art

I used scrapbook paper, a tag punch, ribbon,

burlap scraps and a few other embellishments...

and a canvas from Michael's clearance section!

I wanted to do a turkey, but not one that looked

too much like a preschool project. Not that those

aren't adorable - just not for this project. *wink*

I LOVE how this turned out.

Are you local? You can find these for sale

at Hollyhocks in Mebane, NC.

Sorry, these aren't available in my shop,

but if you just HAVE to have one, email me

and we might be able to work something out.

Speaking of Hollyhocks, I wanted to give you

a little peek at how things look now that it's OPEN!

Here's a good view of the store set-up. Cute, right?!

And here's a few shots of Good Day goodies:

(click for larger view)

Watch shop for the clothespin magnets (in picture 1),

quote frames with fabric flowers (in picture 2), and

lunch box notes (in picture 3) -- coming SOON!

Wanna hear the coolest part?

Apparently some Good Day items were part of the

VERY FIRST SALE for Hollyhocks!

I was so excited when Mary Ann, one of the owners, told me!

Thanks for putting up with me reporting a lot about

this new, exciting adventure. It means a lot that we all

can celebrate GOOD things with each other.

You're all the BEST!

Leafy Turkey Thanksgiving Card

As I mentioned on Monday, the colors of fall never

cease to amaze me. Here in North Carolina, we're blessed

with such vibrant colors when the leaves begin to change.

I've got a fun Thanksgiving paper craft for those

of you who share my love of autumn leaves.

Using leaves from my backyard last fall,

this little gobbler came right to life!

This card craft doesn't warrant a formal tutorial.

Make your card with whatever paper, message you want.

But I will offer some tips that I found worked best.

1. Use freshly fallen leaves that are still soft. Dry ones will just crumble.
2. Live in an area without fallen leaves? Use silk ones from craft store.
3. A gently application of a glue stick works best on the leaves.
4. I cut the body of the turkey free hand, but two sizes of circle punches work too, then just layer the two circles to make the body.
5. Freehand triangle for the beak; tear drop cutout for the "gobble" (?)
6. I would do these close to mailing time so leaves don't dry out weeks before going through the postal system.
7. A sheet of tissue over the card before placing in the envelope will help protect the leaves, too.

What's your favorite craft using leaves?

Simple Halloween Garland

After writing the post earlier about fall, I just had to

get going on something crafty for my favorite season.

I was kind of hitting a big fat crafting wall, so after a

while I finally came up with this fun and simple little

Halloween Garland made from ribbon and paper.

*I think I was trying too hard - the simplest crafts

are oftentimes the funnest to create!

I REALLY love how this turned out.

I didn't take photos of the process because it's

just THAT simple. But here are a few steps if it helps:

1. Measure a 5ft. piece of ribbon.
2. Cut our circles of Halloween color papers.
3. Embellish (i.e. googlie eyes, zig zag scissors, or these).
4. Punch top of each circle with ribbon punch.
5. Thread onto ribbon at 6" intervals, leaving 6-8" on each end.
6. Fold each end of ribbon over and hot glue to make a loop to hang.
7. Hang for some spooky Halloween fun!

Like I said earlier, I'd LOVE to see your fall decorations,

craft ideas, favorite recipes, etc. to share. Just email me.

More tomorrow!

Linking here, here and here.

Oh - and here and here.

It's August! & Two NEW Winners

I grew up in Orlando. Did you know that?

I had a great childhood but hated the hot weather.

The humidity. The bugs.

I didn't know just how much I hated it until I went

away to college to the mountains of North Carolina

at Mars Hill College.

That first fall in the mountains was life changing.

I honestly was mesmerized and in awe over God's

breathtaking creation. The colors. Oh my the colors.

The tree outside my dorm with its yellow leaves

so bright in the morning light that it almost glowed...

The smell of earthy leaves covering the ground

and chimney smoke filling the air....

That crinkly sound of the wind blowing through

the thinning trees, cool and crisp...

The fall festival in the town square with bales of hay

and home grown pumpkins and apple cider...

The honest to goodness hayride through the woods

listening to wolves howl in the night air.

Yep - that year fall I officially became obsessed with fall.

To this day I can't think about fall without thinking

of my and my best friend Jennifer who still lives up

in those mountains. We share the same love for all

things autumn. Luckily I've got a girl's trip to see Jen

this month, which will surely include chatting about

fall being so close around the corner.

And for some reason, the start of August has since been

the kickoff in my mind of the count down to fall.

I can somehow feel it coming in the air.

I have the urge to buy raffia and spiced candles.

Yesterday I got out my old Country Living magazines -

always a good source for some ideas. More on that later.

So, I'll be featuring lots of fall ideas, crafts, recipes and

more in the coming weeks. Do you have a great idea you'd

like to share with the It's A Good Day readers?

Do you have a giveaway for some autumn awesomeness?

Just email me. I'd love to feature you and your ideas.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

I never did hear from two of last week's winners,

so I did another Random.org pick for each one.

The new lucky winner of the Blessed Little Nest

giveaway is Megan from The Brassy Apple!

(Who incidentally has the cutest stuff!!!)

The new lucky winner of the Farmgirl Paints

giveaway is Amanda from

Funny Days with Mommy & Maddie!

Thanks ladies!

Feels Like Fall

Being outside today makes me think of words like

"blustery"

and 

"rustling"

with the wind whipping around

and thinning leaves scratching each other

as they find their resting place for the winter.

The awesome autumnal weather

also made for a perfect pumpkin picking day!

(I just love alliteration!)

Emma took looking for the perfect pumpkin seriously!

And met a new friend along the way.

She looked, and looked, and looked

for the perfect pumpkin.

"This one's too small."

"This one's too big."

"Finally!  This one's just right."

Wait, that's OUR little pumpkin!

After finding the perfect pumpkin,

it was time to head home...in style!

Emma insisted on riding home with her

pumpkin in her lap.  Silly girl.

I thought this variety was beautiful.

I'd never seen this kind before.

Anyone know what they're called?

This was really a perfect afternoon.  Just the 3 of us.

Chilly fall weather (we LOVE fall around here).

And a perfect little pumpkin now sitting on our porch.

Hope your day has been blessed!