2013!

Hello!  We hope you all had a fabulous holiday!  We all enjoyed our time off.  It was the first time we closed our shop since we opened it!  We are back to work and knocking out orders but I have struggled!  What is it about the month of January that always just feels so Blah!  I don't know about everyone else but I have had a really hard time getting back to "real life" after all of the holiday hoopla.  Seems like the same thing happens every year.  Having a few days of sun has surely helped some though.
Now that January is winding down, I feel like I am finally getting back into the swing of things.  I have several home projects brewing in my mind!  I am hoping to cross many things off of my project list this year.  My resolution for 2013 is to get it together.  It is pretty broad really, and encompasses all aspects of my life.  Balancing time between work, family and home is HUGE and at the top of my list.  I feel like the resolution to get my stuff together in 2013 is a rather large undertaking, but they all go hand in hand really.  Becoming more organized, balancing time, home projects, money, family it all goes together and will make life run smoothly.  Wish me luck!

My first order of business is to realize that I (we moms) can't do it all.  Having a 12 and an 8 year old, my kids are beyond old enough to help out around the house.  They have always had chores but getting them to do them without it being a huge deal has not gone so well in my home.  They find ways to skirt around them.  I hear these excuses a lot "can I just relax for a little while first, I had a long day" or "I have sooooo much homework"  Then they disappear into their bedrooms only to be seen again when they are hungry.  So now the rules are changing.  I went back and forth as to what to do for a chore chart.  Of course I went straight to  Etsy to see what I could find!

My favorites are This one from More than a Memory AK

source: Etsy More than A Memory

This one from Mellow Yellow Decor

source: Etsy Mellow Yellow Decor

I like the idea of the magnets on both, having them see what they need to do and having to physically move them to the done column.  So I finally decided which one I wanted but couldn't decided where in my house I was going to hang it so it was seen by the girls everyday.  It needs to be in their face so they are constantly reminded to actually do them, but I didn't really have a wall I was willing to give up for a chore chart :(  Then it hit me!  The door in my kitchen that leads to my garage, the door that we use multiple times a day, well, that door is metal.  Oh yeah!  I was going to go ahead and place an order through Etsy for the magnets, (gotta support other small businesses) but then I saw the turn around time.  I get why it takes so long, I am just not a patient person.  When I get bit by a project bug and I have it all planned out, I want it done now!  So off to Lowes and Joanns I went for supplies.
Supplies used:
2x2 white tiles
magnets
527 glue
mod podge
cardstock
scalloped punch
vinyl


I simply made a list of all of the chores they could ever potentially have (and there are a lot) typed them up on my computer and printed them out, including one for each that says "Parents Choice" for anything I forgot ;)   I used my scalloped punch to punch them out of the card stock because it ended up being more forgiving to do that than trying to get everything spaced perfectly when printing.

Then I separated the 2x2 tiles (they come on a sheet) and mod podged each chore to a tile.   You can do several coats of mod podge (letting each coat dry before adding the next) but I didn't.  When I make things for myself I tend to cut corners a bit cause it doesn't have to be perfect if it isn't leaving my house ;)  A coat of sealant over them would give the surface added protection as well.

Once all of that is dry, flip them over and use your 527 or something like it to attach your magnets (make sure you are in a ventilated space, that stuff is potent!)


Next I cut out vinyl to add to my door, and viola! It is done.  Very simple project.  Hopefully very effective as well.  It has only been a week, but my kids are excited about it and are doing it.  I have attached an allowance to it.  Sadly for them, they don't get paid by chore, they get paid by day.  They have to accomplish all things on their list in order to be paid for the day.  Mind you most things on that list are ridiculous and shouldn't have had to be put on a chore chart but alas, they did.  Things like Feed the dog, and put away your lunch box.  Simple things, but things that are a constant struggle in this house.  How do you handle chores in your home?  Do you have a chore chart?  Is it working for you?  I am just hoping ours works longer than a month!  If you are attempting the dreaded chore chart as part of your new year plan, Good Luck!

Shipping Frenzy

We are hard at work here at Embellished Living.  We are not just preparing for our own Christmas celebrations, but we are blessed to have a small part in some of yours as well.  These are just some of the packages we shipped yesterday!  We have more to go out today so all of you that placed Christmas orders will have them in time to give to your loved ones.  Thank you so much for all of your support and for shopping with us this holiday season!  We are going to take a blog hiatus so we can focus on getting orders out and spend some extra time with our families during these next couple busy weeks!  Merry Christmas Everyone!

What's Up Wednesday

We lived with a naked tree for about a week, but it is naked no more!  I bit the bullet and transformed the living room while the kids were in school and the hubs was at work.  It was so fun to see their reactions as soon as they walked into the house!

While I love our tree, my favorite decorations are on our mantle.

Growing up, from my mom and dad's mantle hung the stockings that Mom had knitted for us when my sister and I were little.  I knew that once I had my first son, that I wanted to do the same for our family.  Last year, I finally finished my own stocking, so our set is complete!  The mini-stockings are just one of our many Advent calendars, and each one holds an Andes Mint for our boys.  I got the idea from a blog years ago when my kids (now 7 and 10) were just 1.5 and 4.  I fondly remember sewing the stockings while the boys took turns sitting in my lap to see what I was doing.  The village of little people adorned every room of the home I grew up in and were purchased in Norway when my family lived abroad.  Now they reside on my mantle during December.  My book page wreath and the countdown blocks hold wonderful memories of crafting with dear friends that I've made here in Murfreesboro. 

Our mantle is full of memories from my childhood and of when my babies were babies.  What is your favorite decoration?

It's Miscellaneous!

The stockings are hung, the nativity is set, my mantle is as cute as it is gonna get.  But my most favorite decoration of all, stands proud in front of my window fat and tall.
I love my Christmas tree.  LOVE IT. It is big and full and a total pain in my rear every year!  My tree is 13 years old.  It is not pre lit.  It does not come apart in 3 nice little sections.  It has many, many branches that have to be taken out of their 2 super size rubbermaid totes every year and fluffed and stuck into a pole one, by one, by one.  Then strand after strand of lights is strung round and round the tree.  It takes forever to put up my tree.  But I know I will have it forever.  When I step back and look at it finished every year, I fall in love again.  Knowing that I got it as an after Christmas special for about $20 makes me love it even more!

The first Christmas we put up this tree was our now 12 year old's very first Christmas as well.  It was full of matchy store bought ornaments in a certain color scheme.  As the years have passed by and our family has grown, I now look at my tree and see something so different than it was all those years ago.  While I still have some matchy ornaments in a certain color scheme I don't really notice them any more.  I see all of the memories.  Each of my girls gets a new ornament every Christmas Eve representative of what they liked that year.  There are also, ornaments to remember loved ones, ornaments from family, ones to represent special occasions, and trips taken.  Ornaments out of beads and popsicle sticks and painted by my kids.  Ornaments from many ornament exchanges with friends over the years.  It is a hodgepodge mess of memories all in one place, it is fabulous!  Take a peek at some of my favorites

These 2 always stick together and are always at the top. For a friend of ours that passed away

These are just a few from trips we've taken: DC, Vegas, Cozumel, Isle of Palms, yes you see an ornament made from a dog biscuit in this shot as well lol

My kids favorite ornament!  Stacie may or may not remember this but it came from her in our 1st (previous) mom's group ornament exchange together.  It counts down the days till Christmas!

My personal Baby's 1st Christmas ornaments :)  1980 baby 

Given to my by my favorite Aunt for my 1st Christmas as a mommy

Crazy and hysterical inside joke, but it reminds me of some really good times with great friends

Made by my mom in the 70's

My beautiful, hodgepodge memory tree

I spy a paper snowman, a sock monkey, strawberry shortcake and a cheerleader ;)

Friday's Freakout!

Enough said.

What's Up Wednesday

There are only 28 days left until Christmas, and with Thanksgiving behind us, Christmas and other winter holiday preparations are finally here!  At Chez Nous, we have our tree up with lights on it, but save the one Christmas ornament that sneaked past us when we were taking it down last year, it isn't decorated, yet.  My husband and I are busily making lists of gifts that our kids would like (AND that we approve of), gifts that we need to get, cards that need to be sent, baked goods that need to be baked, I think you get the gist...

Thank you so very much for supporting Embellished Living this past week.  So many of you chose to "Shop Small" this past weekend!

Did you know that for every dollar spent at a community based merchant there is a multiplier effect in the local economy?  That means that for every dollar spent at a local, independent merchant, three or more times as much typically goes back into the local economy compared to a dollar spent at chain-owned businesses!

Don't forget to check out the Holiday Guide by PBJstories!  There might be a coupon code for our Etsy Shop if you look around.

Miscellaneous "Cyber" Monday

Hope you all had a great Holiday weekend!  Cyber Monday has already been off to a big start for us!

The Etsy Wreath video debut was this morning and it is fabulous!  Jeremy was wonderful to work with and he really did a great job with it!  We are thrilled to be included in the video alongside so many talented wreath makers! Take a peek at our sidebar------>


Not only that, but we are also featured in PB&J stories Etsy Holiday Gift Guide!  We love Pamela's work and were so excited when she contacted us to be a part of her fun Etsy finds!  You may find a coupon code for our Etsy shop when you check it out ;)

source: pbjstories.com

We also added a few new Christmas items to our Etsy shop today :)  Make sure you stop by!