The Hungry Bear

macaron valentine printable.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner! Thought of this funny pun for macaron as I was driving one day. "Get your MAC(aron) on this Valentine's Day!" After taking the french macaron class, I wanted to attempt again on my own. After failing four more times, I think I have gotten the hang of it. Apologies on no step by step macaron recipe. Should have been taking pictures along the way. Only got one of the batch coming out of the oven with the "feet". If you are handy in making french macarons, add this simple and fun printable to give out this Valentine's Day!

MATERIALS:

• French Macarons
• Kitchen Twine
• Clear Treat Bags
• Scissors
• Download Macaron Valentine Printable

december daily album | week four.

And just like that, the holidays is over but from what I stated early on before starting the album. I wanted to document all 31 days of December. 

Here are the pages for Week Four:

Day 21 and Day 22

It was a lazy Sunday indeed for Day 21. In the morning, we got Bear his first ever "puppachino". It's whipped cream and we believe that he really enjoyed it. Also finished baking the last three batches of cookies to bring into work. Usually I divide up the cookies and give on tray to Robert to bring into this work. Here I just created a filler card that said "Today" and the date and wrote about the day. Added a picture of Bear with his puppachino. For the bottom pocket, I added a picture of a few of the cookies I baked.

For Day 22, my friend Kevin was back in town from grad school. We went to the Caps game against the Senators. In the 2x2 pocket, I added the picture of the rink. Then at one of the stand, grabbed a 2014-2015 season schedule which fit perfectly into the bottom pocket. For the last pocket, I cut up some graph paper and added the moose wood veener. 

Day 23 and Day 24

Had a holiday work lunch on Day 23. We went to Jackson's, one of the great American Restuarants. They have such a wonderful selection of food. That day, I decided to go with Short Smoked Grilled Salmon Salad - Asparagus, tomatoes and field greens with champagne vinaigrette & a deviled egg with pecans. Before leaving, I picked up one of the Restaurant cards and cut it down to fit into the 2x2 pocket. I had a gold envelope that I cut down and added a flag and gold number 23. 

Day 24 I documented the homemade gifts I worked on this year. I ordered these wooden slices and handlettered some sayings on them to give as gifts. My friend Marie had a small request to write some herbs in calligraphy. She wanted to include herb markers with this garden kit she was going to give to her sister. I inserted a simple filler card with the date in a semi circle and wrote about the day.

Day 25 and Day 26

Christmas Day, had a quite a few things going on that day from going to my parents' house. Then heading over to Robert's family's house. I wanted to include a picture of me and my siblings. We don't usually get to have a picture of all four of us. I made this gag gift of these tshirts that said, "World's Okayest Sister (or Brother)" and all of us wore it! I inserted brown cardstock and placed gold sticker numbers and wrote in pen about the day.

Day 26 was Bear's first birthday! Had a small gathering with my sister and her dog Miso. The pups played together and had made them some pup cakes! For the humans, made a simple lunch with some dumplings.  Originally, I wanted do photobooth strips for Bear but I had forgotten that day so I placed a picture of Bear in his birthday hat and his pup cake. Inserted a gold letter "B" and wrote a little note about Bear.

Day 27

On Saturday, my sister brought over Miso for us to dog sit. She and her husband were going up to New York to celebrate his grandmother's birthday. The pups played all day, they are like engerizer bunnies, don't know how they have so much! Earlier in the day, when with my friend Marie to do some post Christmas shopping. I think it's one of my favorite things to do. Collect (hoard) cute christmas items for next year. Hey, I believe it's a win when you save money!

december daily album | week three.

Can you believe it's Christmas?! This year has flown by! Hope everyone is having a wonderfuly holiday season! What do you and your loved ones have planned for the holiday season? 

Week three of December Daily was a week of celebrations! Lots of december babies :D 

Day 14 and Day 15

Day 14, had celebrated a friend's daughter's first birthday. Happy to have been able to share this special day. For the layout, I scaled down the birthday invite to fit in the 2x2 page. Added a picture of the birthday girl. Added a letter "E" for the birthday girl and a simple gold star for the last filler card.

I went with a full 5.5 x 8.5 page for day 15. Simple monday night meal and sharing a little bit about wanted to get a kick start on eating healthier for the new year. 

Day 16 and Day 17

Another full picture for day 16. if you look closely, you can see our furry loved one that wanted to be in the picture. Too funny not to include! In the picture, it has our individual stockings and a reindeer "mugshot" hehehe.

Day 17, back to the 2x2 page layout. Added pictures of wrapping gifts and holiday chocolate. Then a simple filler card with the date. I had some red mini folder with empty label so I added some kitchen twine and a button to fill one of hte pockets.

Day 18 and Day 19

On December 18, had an early birthday dinner for my sister, Natalie. I had some brown kraft paper and added some white cake base paper and added date using a stamp. We had had dinner at Olive Garden so I printed out a part of the menu and added that in. Had previously had some Martha Stewart cards that says "who, what, where and when". This was great to journal a bit about the day. And of course added a picture of the birthday girl!

Didn't have much going on December 19 so I simplity added this lovely wrapping paper printable and added a divider label with the date.

Day 19 and Day 20

On the back side of Day 19, added a list of favorite holiday songs. For Natalie's actual birthday, I pulled in a picture from the early birthday dinner. Also had holiday lunch with a friend at True Food Kitchen, printed a picture of our food. ;] Inserted a simple filler card with the date and wrote a bit about it.

diy wooden coasters.

Around this time last year, I was finishing on some DIY Cozy Handwarmers. Took a simplier approach this year with some homemade wooden coasters. I was inspired by West Elm Shanna Murray Coasters and thought this would be a wonderful holiday gift that anyone would love! Now you can make your own with these steps.

MATERIALS:

• Wooden Coasters (Ordered 2"-3" slices from JTL Creations)
• Paint Brush
• Kitchen Twine
• Chalk Pen
• Gift Tags (Cute printable from Hello! Lucky)
• Pine Branches
• Polyurethane Paint (Can be found at any craft store or Home Depot)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Step 1: With a chalk pen, write down sayings that you like. You can get creative with this, can personalize it anyway you want. The four I went with were:

• Welcome Home
• Cheers
• A Happy Toast
• Enjoy

Step 2: To protect the coasters, apply a coat of polyurethane. Following the instructions, let dry for 2 hours. 

Step 3: Once the coasters are completely dry, stack the coasters. Tie with it with kitchen twine. I was on Instragam and stumbled across Hello!Lucky and had such cute printables! Added that and a piece of pine branch.

december daily album | week two.

Week one of December Daily done. Now for Week two! I have to admit, keeping up with the daily photos and journaling is a lot more difficult than I thought. You can definitely fall behind fairly quickly. 

Here is a look at Week Two:

Day 6 (Continued) and Day 7

To continue with Day 6 Party photos, on the top pocket, inserted some wrapping paper. Then added a red Martha Stewart Craft Label. On the bottom pocket, added a 4x6 photo of the buffet table from the holiday party.

Went with a four pocket view for Day 7's layout. For the upper left corner, used some leftover kraft polka dot wrapping paper from Target. Inserted a simple date/month on cardstock created in Word. At the bottom, printed out a 4x6 photo from "Run with Santa 5k" and cut it in half and inserted it into the remaining pockets.

Day 8 and Day 9

 

Mixed up the type of photos by adding a polaroid for day 8. On the upper left corner, took a picture of our mini christmas tree and added some embellishment with a gold safety pin. Added a pine tree left to the back of the kraft polka dot paper. Bottom left, inserted the same wrapping paper in red. Lastly, I took a picture of the wreath I have up on the door and added a glitter number 8 top.

Day 9, Hot Chocolate Bar day! Added a 4x6 photo from that day. Then in the bottom pocket, wrote a little about the hot chocolate bar (second year doing it!).

Day 10 and Day 11

Back to a two pocket view for Day 10 and 11. Continuing with trying to keep some white space and clean lines. For Day 10, on the top pocket, kept with the simple date/month and wrote a little bit about addressing cards for the first time. Then added a photo of addressing cards with a side of oraments and coffee!

Day 11, inserted our actual holiday card for 2014 from Artifact Uprising. We really wanted to feature Bear this year with the card saying, "Wishing you a "Beary" happy holidays!" :]

Day 11 and Day 12

Used a mailing label and date stamp and added to the envelope and secured it with a red/white paper clip. 

For Day 12, found these kraft bags earlier in the year at Target (Dollar section) and added some stocking prints. These are from cards I had from a while back (also Target) and just took them off the card and adhered it the kraft bag. Inside the kraft bag, I printed out Bear's wishlist on a smaller scale and punched a hole and added some ribbon.

Day 12 and Day 13

Back of the kraft bag, added a simple date/month for Day 12. 

Ended the week with a day in dog sitting Bear's brother, Miso! Wild night, I tell ya! ;] Printed a 4x6 photo and cut it in half for the upper pockets. For the lower left pocket, found this wonderful free christmas tree printable. For the last pocket, cut out simple cardstock and adhered a mailing label with a date stamp.

december daily album | week one.

Slowly getting back into the routine after a wonderful mini trip. Holidays are in full swing, between addressing holiday cards and prepping for annual holiday party, hope to stay updated on December Daily album. Working on this album really brings me back to the old scrapbooking days. This was really my first love, working with paper goods and photos.

Above is the title page, here I found a reindeer template and scaled it down (really really little) and traced it on to some scrapbooking paper I previously had. I adhered it to a 5.5 x 8.5 page where I typed out 2014 - Eat, Drink and be Merry!

Here's a look at the first week:

Day One

I wanted to do a full spread for the first day of December. On the left side, I printed out a full picture of the trees from the mini trip to Savage River Lodge. On the right side, I printed out the Savage River Lodge sign and for the bottom, I split and put a photo then on the other side, I put "1" and wrote a little bit about the trip. I then inserted into Martha Stewart sheet protector with two pockets.

Day Two and Three

For Day Two, on the top pocket, I printed out a picture of the breakfast basket. Added a date stamp to a mailing label and adhered that to the picture

For Day Three, I cut up a baseball page protector to create a 2x2 pocket. On the upper left corner, I added a gold number 3 sticker (This can be found at any craft store, Michael's, AC Moore, etc). Upper right corner, I got a gift card from Starbucks and placed it into the pocket. This is a great way to get filler cards! Lower left corner, a simple photo from morning coffee. Lower right corner, I looked in my scrapbooking paper to find something festive then added a wooden star (got from AC Moore, similar here)

Day Four and Five 

For Day Four, I left the number 3 sticker in the clear pocket and no backing. To the left, I took a picture of when I was at target in the holiday section aisle. I created a "polaroid" as a frame for the picture. Below the picture, I included a receipt and used a festive white and red stripped paper clip and put it on top of a Trader Joe's bag. I found some free polka dot printable and added a white textbox over it with a date stamp.

Day Five, on pinterest, there was this great "Making a List" printable. It was a great way to organize for gift giving. I added a little blurb under the picture.

Day Six

I went with a full spread for Day Six. On the left side, created a 3x3 collage and inserted some of the photobooth pictures from the holiday party. I filled the non-picture boxes with a wooden reindeer (Found at Paper Source) For the gold stars on the upper right corner, punched some stars out of some gold paper that I previously owned. On the right side, in the top pocket, I inserted the holiday invitation. On the bottom, I took a picture of part of the backdrop and wrote a little bit about the party.

how to pack for a weekend cabin trip.

Greetings from Savage River Lodge! Excited to be taking some time off for the first time this year. (I know, first vacation in December?!) Robert and I along with Bear are taking a mini vacation to a cabin in Maryland. I think this will be a nice time to unwind, unplug and relax before it gets really busy for the holidays. Had this post queued up while prepping for the trip. Today I will be sharing a few of my outfit picks for what to pack for a cabin trip. Goal was to keep the items simple and comfy. Sticking to the basics.

01  |  Chunky Scarf, Old from Gap (Similar here, here, and here)

02  |  Checkered Scarf, Old from Forever 21 (Similar here, here and here)

03  |  Hat and Mittens, Old from H&M (Similar here - hat, here - mittens)

04  |  Cozy socks (here and here)

05  |  Tee, Old from Jcrew (Similar here)

06  |  Tee, Handme down from Sister from Jcrew Factory (Similar here)

07  |  Flannel Button up Shirt

08  |  Button up shirt, Old from Anthropologie (Similar here, here, and here)

09  |  Vest Jacket, Old from H&M (Similar here and here)

10  |  Cowl Neck Sweater

11  |  Chucky Sweater, Old from Gap (Similar here

12  |  Chucky Shawl Cardigan

13  |  Leggings, Old from Target but they continue to have these!

14  |  Jeans, Old from Gap (Similar here)

15  |  Boots

16  |  Tennis Shoes, Old from Nike (Similar here)

holiday gifts for the animal lovers.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FRIENDS! Hope you're enjoying plenty of time with friends and family. Eating your heart out with some delicious food. After all the yumminess, lets kick off holiday shopping with a little holiday gift guide. So isn't Bear such a nice pup?! After creating his own wishlist, he thought of the humans. Here are a few of Bear's picks for all the animal lovers out there!

01  |  Goldendoodle Pillow Cover

02  |  Hidden Bear Mug  

03  |  The Art of Racing in the Rain

04  |  Dog Bone Cookie Cutter Personalized

05  |  Personalized American Apparel High Quality Dog Lover's Tote  

06  |  BarkClips

07  |  Canvas Lunch Bag, Puppy Love Doggy Bag

08  |  Goldendoodle Letterpress Notecards

bear's holiday wishlist.

Bear, you clever clever dog. Trying to give us a hint at what is on his wishlist! Excited to share a few items today in hopes to also help give you some ideas for your pet. We are excited because this is Bear's first Christmas. Hoping to wrap some of the presents up and see him open them. I'm pretty sure he will love tearing up the wrapping paper! 

01  |  veggie pizza dog toy 

02  |  drinkwell avalon pet fountain

03  |  billy wolf porter dog jacket

04  |  nina ottosson dog brick interactive dog toy

05  |  mother nature honey glazed chicken

06  |  Premium Fleece Therapeutic Dog Bed Set

07  |  Aspen Le Bistro Portion-Control Automatic Pet Feeder

08  |  iFetch

Do you have a four legged friend? What is on your list to get your furry friend this holiday season?! Stay tune for our holiday picks for our animal lover friends too! :]

first holiday photo card.

Prior to this year, have never done a holiday photo card before. Since this is Bear's first Christmas, Robert and I wanted to take some holiday photos. Wanted to share with you a few photos (very hard to choose just a few, there were so many great ones!) from the holiday session. These AMAZING AMAZING photos were taken by my very talented sister, Julie! (Julie Shek Photography!) If you are still looking have some photos taken, let me know, I can forward her contact information :] 

We had lucked out that it was clear skies over the weekend. It was quite cold the few days before but luckily it wasn't too bad when we were out there. Tried to keep it nice and simple, went to Manassas National Battlefield Park. Lots of open field space and trees around. To add some festive elments to the shoot, got a wreath from target and put one of my scarf on Bear! Enjoy!