JCasa BLOG

valentines to share

as is customary in the Casa household, 'twas the weekend before Valentine's Day and all through the house, two little crafters were stirring, creating goodies for their pals.  this year, the girls were once again inspired by the available materials which mama dumped all over the table, saying "have at it!" after the oohing and ahhing subsided, we brainstormed until they each came to a decision as to what their individual valentines be.  and the winners for 2012 are...

BUBBLES!  i picked a bunch of these at target last month and included them in the goody bags at their 7th birthday party.  everybody loves bubbles, so i got a few extra packs.  my girly came up with an idea for a cute message to go on packaging like these cuties on Prudent Baby.  we made her tags in photoshop with a "from" area where she signed her name on each one and then was able to add a few of her favorite stickers.  gotta have stickers.  a quick fold of the cards and we stapled them in place, ensuring each vial of bubbles would make it to the intended recipient.

on the other side of the table, this was going on...

DIY SCRATCH-OFFS!  we made a sheet with 6 cards in photoshop which my girlygirl filled in with different candy heart phrases.  i scanned and printed 5 color copies onto cardstock, giving her 30 to work with - 25 for the class, and a few extra to pop in the mail.  she was to write each person's name as well as sign her own, which she did prior to adhering the contact paper and applying paint to cover the secret messages - we used this method from Come Together Kids.  it was especially cute to see her choose who would receive each message.  (heaven forbid so-and-so would get a "be mine" or something like that.  "awkward!")  once they were dry, she slipped each into a small glassine bag with a penny and sealed 'em with a sticker.  yes, again with the stickers.

now i just need to whip up several dozen last-minute beanbags and cupidesque fruit-kebobs in time for tuesday afternoon's class parties.  happy day to you + yours!  xoxo

:

p.s.  the hub gave me Photoshop Elements for Christmas and although i am just now figuring it out as i go, it is rocking my world with the possibilities.  well done, PLC.

happy 2011

it all seems to have whooshed by with such sparkle that warms my heart and leaves me feeling so very blessed.  thank you, dear friends, for all of your support and kind words this year.  i do this because i love it - i love making things, i love writing, and i love sharing it all with others - and i hope to continue on this path for years to come.

our warmest wishes to you and yours as you celebrate what was in 2011, and ring in all that can be in 2012 and the future.    pink skies at night, my friends.  pink skies.  xoxo

happy everything.

our warmest wishes to you + yours.  today + always.

happy everything.  xoxo

advent 2011 [14] : soft trees

each and every year when i open up the box of holiday decorations, i am smitten by these soft trees.  i originally made them about five or so years ago, having been inspired by stephanie congdon barnes original soft trees, which you can see on the Craft blog here - please note, the link to her pattern is no longer active.  but they are so simple to make, you can surely figure it out.

made from thrifted + felted sweaters, some of ours are weighted with rice, and others simply stitched together and stuffed with fluff.  both are a quiet, minimalist addition to our holiday decor that i leave up throughout the winter.  love.  xoxo 

- - -

advent is a happy time when we celebrate, give and share with the ones we love.
join us here for simple + handmade daily projects to celebrate the season.
pass it on.  xoxo

- - -

grab a button to display on your site | blog.
click over each morning to see our project of the day.

happy holidays!  xoxo

advent 2011 [13] : 'tis the season for craft shows

the results of many days + tireless nights of making, all in preparation for a craft show at the girls' school this past weekend.  especially wonderful with two little helpers working alongside me.  it got even better when four of their girlfriends showed up, i handed over a new big box of crayons + a few new coloring books (score one for prepared mama) and they took over the empty table next to mine to "sell" their colored pictures.

my suggestion of pricing them at a quarter was quickly shot down, as six sweet voices delcared, "NO!  We are selling them for FREE!"  i may have just happy-cried when i heard that.  such a great day filled with fabulous memories we'll have forever.

if you'd like to get some of that very special handmade goodness for the ones you love (or for yourself), there are plenty of new handmade goodies in the JCasa SHOP - stocking stuffers, teacher gifts, goodies for the home + wee ones alike.

use the coupon code "CRAFTSHOW2011" for 20% off your entire order as a thank you for being such loyal readers + supporters of all that i make and do.  this is a perfect opportunity to wrap up your holiday shopping with 100% handmade goodness.  xoxo

* this coupon code is valid through thu., 15-dec-11 + everything ships fri., 16-dec-11!

- - -

advent is a happy time when we celebrate, give and share with the ones we love.
join us here for simple + handmade daily projects to celebrate the season.
pass it on.  xoxo

- - -

grab a button to display on your site | blog.
click over each morning to see our project of the day.

happy holidays!  xoxo

advent 2011 [12] : tree trimming traditions

our in-house team of tree-trimmers did a fine job getting our tree into the holiday spirit.
we waited a full week to decorate her so that the hub would be a part of the festivities + it was worth the wait.  togetherness always is.  xoxo

- - -

advent is a happy time when we celebrate, give and share with the ones we love.
join us here for simple + handmade daily projects to celebrate the season.
pass it on.  xoxo

- - -

grab a button to display on your site | blog.
click over each morning to see our project of the day.

happy holidays!  xoxo

advent 2011 [09] : trimmings

i absolutely love the look of amanda's greenery made from trimmings gathered around their farm, and thought that would be a wonderful way to use up the wayward branches from our holiday tree along with leftover winterberries from Thanksgiving decorations.

and so i snipped little bits, located the twine amongst my hibernating garden supplies, wrapped a few little bundles up with simplicity in mind, and strung them from the lamps that flank our front door.

bit by little bit, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  love that.  xoxo 

- - -

advent is a happy time when we celebrate, give and share with the ones we love.

join us here for simple + handmade daily projects to celebrate the season.

pass it on.  xoxo

- - -

grab a button to display on your site | blog.
click over each morning to see our project of the day.

happy holidays!  xoxo

advent 2011 [07] : inspiration

each day i am adding to my holiday / ornaments board on Pinterest all sorts of crafty + yummy holiday ideas to keep us all busy throughout the seasons and for years to come.

and the fine folks at kirtsy have put together a dozen DIY stocking stuffers by crafty bloggers (curated Sarah Bryden-Brown from Blogstar) that is full of simple + inspiring ideas for the holidays.  definitely worth checking out.  xoxo

- - -

advent is a happy time when we celebrate, give and share with the ones we love.
join us here for simple + handmade daily projects to celebrate the season.
pass it on.  xoxo

- - -

grab a button to display on your site | blog.
click over each morning to see our project of the day.

happy holidays!  xoxo

advent 2011 [06] : peppermint bark popcorn

over the past few years, we've enjoyed our share of orangette's peppermint bark and i have the curves to prove it, ahem.  there's something about the holidays + peppermint candies that go hand in hand around here.  one sure sign of advent is when our realtor gifts us a piece of Ohio pottery filled with peppermint candies on the first of December every year, so we've had peppermint candies a'plenty in our home for 10 years now.  this year, in the interest of my waistline and also wanting to try something newish, we came up with this stuff.  and it's beyond amazing.  you still get the flavor, but there's that lightness + crunch that comes with popcorn.  and having that join forces with the peppermint + chocolate will make your tastebuds sing.  fa la la la la.  really.

ok, ok... i need to stop with the gushing and just share the recipe now.

[dark iPhone photos - but you get the idea]

peppermint bark popcorn

• 4 oz. white chocolate, chopped (use the good stuff, such as Callebaut)
• 1 dozen hard peppermint candies, crushed
• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped (again, use good chocolate.  you deserve it.)
• 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
• 10+ cups popped popcorn - plain/unsalted

crush the candies (in their wrappers works great) and place the sweet pepperminty dust into a small bowl (your kids will loooove to do this).  spread out the popcorn on cookie sheets.  melt the white chocolate in a double boiler and drizzle over the popcorn a la jackson pollack.  while the chocolate is still melty, sprinkle half the peppermint dust over the popcorn.  take a break and lick the bowl clean.  (what, like you wouldn't do that...)  melt the bittersweet chocolate and add in the peppermint extract while it's melting.  drizzle the dark minty luciousness overtop the popcorn in same manner you did the white, then sprinkle the remaining peppermint dust on top while the chocolate is melty.  place the cookie sheets into the fridge to harden the chocolate, and use this time to clean the bowl as you did earlier.  when all of those chocolate drizzles have hardened (it only take a few minutes), remove the cookie sheets from the fridge, scoop up the popcorn in clumps, eat some and place the rest in airtight containers.  store in the fridge - the slight chill adds to the mintyness.

share with friends + family.  and enjoy an extra handful at 10pm when nobody is looking.
xoxo

- - -

advent is a happy time when we celebrate, give and share with the ones we love.
join us here for simple + handmade daily projects to celebrate the season.
pass it on.  xoxo

- - -

grab a button to display on your site | blog.
click over each morning to see our project of the day.

happy holidays!  xoxo

advent 2011 [04] : letters to Santa

our rules for letters to Santa - be friendly, keep it simple, write neatly, drop it into Santa's special mailbox, and get really excited.  then go get special ice cream afterwards.

- - -

advent is a happy time when we celebrate, give and share with the ones we love.
join us here for simple + handmade daily projects to celebrate the season.
pass it on.  xoxo

- - -

grab a button to display on your site | blog.
click over each morning to see our project of the day.

happy holidays!  xoxo