I've got 4 gifts wrapped and under the tree my friends!
That's a feat for me with it only being the third day of December.

Admittedly, I'm usually wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve...always with regret for not doing it sooner so I could enjoy all of the pretty details for more than 8-10 hours.

I promised myself to break that unintentional tradition this year and so far so good.

Along with my rolls of Kraft paper and some fresh eucalyptus, I put together a tray of pretty ribbons, tags, strings, twine, yarn, dried oranges, scissors and tape. Having the supplies gathered together makes it really easy, and convenient, to quickly wrap additional gifts leading up to Christmas.

My gift wrapping usually always starts with either brown kraft or white wrapping paper.
I like to keep it pretty neutral to allow the pretty ribbons, fabrics, greenery and tags to be the stars of the "gift wrapping show". I'm using dried oranges again from last year's Christmas decor and gift wrapping. I love them.

TIP: I also love spritzing the dried oranges with orange and clove essential oils. Makes them deliciously fragrant and adds another special element to the gift giving experience.

This year, my gifts will be adorned with an extra special detail...
...these beautiful "fa-la-la-la-la" gift tags hand-lettered by my sweet friend Aedriel.
She collaborated with Sugar Paper LA to create some gorgeous holiday pretties for Target.
These tags are even more gorgeous in real life because the card stock is nice and thick and
the finish of the lettering mimics letterpress. I'm completely smitten.

This neutral style of gift wrapping reaches far beyond Christmas too. 

The combination of cotton lace, sheer ribbon and fresh eucalyptus makes it versatile enough for a wedding birthday, or any other special occasion gift. 

I'll leave you to soak in the rest of the gift wrapping details. 

Look for the resource list at the bottom to find some of the pretties I'm using this year. 

I love gift wrapping.

If you aren't excited about it, I hope this inspires you.

Adding some fresh, natural elements to your gift wrapping is easy, beautiful and fun!

And the receiver will adore and appreciate the extra effort.

Love you guys!!

PS - Let's stay cozy + connected in-between posts...find me on Instagram for daily inspiration.

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RESOURCES

Linen Ribbon

Fa-la-la-la Tags

Wide Cotton Lace Ribbon - linked something similar

Dried Oranges

Frayed Chiffon Ribbon

Cotton Twine

Brown Kraft Paper - 2pk

Fresh Eucalyptus - Trader Joe's

KEEPING IT REAL
Don't leave your dried oranges out if you have animals.
I caught my dog, Hamilton, devouring the oranges right off the packages.
But he's 18 years old...so maybe your pets won't be intrigued in the least. *wink*

HOLIDAYS | Simple Woods + Whites Christmas Decor

  
Merry Christmas + Happy New Year friends!!
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season and are excited about the approaching new year!

Christmas this year was very different for us.

We are in our new home, two hours away from family and my two older girls...

so I had to let go of some old Christmas traditions and try to start some new ones.

With that said, the biggest change I made this year as far as Christmas goes is I kept things REALLY simple when it came to decor: woods, whites and a little bit of greenery.

I didn't even open my boxes of ornaments. 

Nope. I purchased new ones: raw woods hearts, snowflakes and stars I randomly came across the month before Christmas.

I hung them on the new faux, pre-lit tree we bought this year - forgoing our annual tradition of picking one out together at Santa's Christmas Tree Forest back home. 

Everything just felt so new and different. I believe I subconsciously could not bring myself to open the flood of memories contained in all of the boxes of Christmas decor and ornaments.

I bought a new tree skirt (never even had one - previously used blankets or fabric scraps) and new stockings. I knew out of all of my kids Ema would disapprove of me not sticking with the stockings she grew up with...and it was literally one of the first questions she asked when she walked in the house. 

I wanted the house to feel like Christmas but I didn't want it cluttered. And I also wanted it to be easy to put up and easy to take down. And again...I think I subconsciously avoided unsolicited emotions by dodging anything that could conjure up a memory...big or small.

We also started a new tradition...the 25 days of Christ.

I wanted the season to be as chaos-free and as Christ-centered as possible. 

The new daily ritual of reading a passage of scripture and having Ella hang the corresponding ornament from December 1st all the way up to Christmas Day really added a spiritual + sacred element to our Christmas season...one I had regretfully been looking past for far too long.

Even the cookies I made for our annual Christmas Cookie Baking Day matched my whole Christmas color scheme and vibe this year. I love them so much I may only use white royal icing from here on out. I LOVE the tone-on-tone.

The cookie baking was held at my mom's house this year instead of mine...even though when we bought the new house I immediately envisioned the new huge island covered in Christmas cookies. It's just too much to ask the rest of the family to travel so far...it was easier for Ella and I to go. 

Yep. We traveled the two hours and turned it into a 2 day visit. It was nice.

Although truth be told, Ella didn't even participate because she was spending time with her bestie Elise...whom she misses terribly. And I was sad Clara only got to pop in for an hour after she got off of work. Ema was there though...and she even inspired me with a few of her designs.

I just had to include this giant sugar cookie tree cut-out my aunt Susan created by hand. She thought it looked wonky but I fell in love with it's rustic, authentic vibe and asked her if I could decorate it. I love how it turned out. And see...I even added a few splashes of green in the mix of cookies - but I still love the tone-on-tone. *wink*

This year was the first year I realized after all of these years of having my own home and decorating for Christmas I have NEVER had mistletoe as part of our Christmas decor!!
I'd honestly never even thought about it.

I came home with some unexpectedly this year while Ella and I were out shopping together one afternoon. She spotted a package of it and asked if we could buy it. I may have done an eye roll and almost said no and then all of a sudden a rush of memories about how my grandparents always had it hanging at their front door during the holidays came flooding my mind...and heart. And of course we had to bring some home. I find it peculiar after all of these years I hadn't even given it a thought and now I can't imagine not having it in our home.

The Willow Tree créche I've had for years blended perfectly with my simple Christmas decor. 

I intentionally found a place where it could be the centerpiece/focal point of our home - a daily reminder to me of what to keep my focus on. 

Psst...

Do you like that fancy word "créche" I used? I recently learned it while reading a new Tasha Tudor book I purchased and it sounds so much more...well...fancy. *wink* "Créche" is just a word that also means nativity but apparently speaks more directly to the baby Jesus. You're welcome for that random information. *wink*

You know I love our Hot Cocoa Bars every year. This year's Snickerdoodle theme is one of my favorites. I love having it up during the holidays and beyond...warming our tummies and our hearts. 

I think that's a wrap friends!!

I hope you enjoyed a peek at what our Christmas looked like this year.
As different as it was due to our move six months ago and as hard as it was to let go of traditions I'd come to know and love through the years...I can truly say it was one of my favorite Christmases yet because it was one of the most simple.

I will be back soon with my recap of 2017 and the action word I've chosen to focus on for 2018!!

Also...I just had to share that tonight...New Year's Eve night...we are starting a new tradition!!

I've decided to have a candlelight dinner...using the battery operated flickering candlesticks we've had displayed in our windows this Christmas season. I think it's a brilliant way to transition from Christmas to New Year's. 

Love you guys so much. Thanks for being here.

Thanks for sharing. Thanks for supporting. 

Here's to a beautiful year ahead for us all!

xoxo,

Jess

KEEPiNG iT REAL

Stuart, our elf, was back again this year. I think Ella has a crush on him. *wink*

She said she'd like to marry him. lol

And she cried the day he left...she always cries when he leaves.

It rips my heart out - for a plethora of reasons.

Clara and Ema drove up the day before Christmas Eve and stayed the night with us.

We had a nice dinner together and then exchanged gifts that night - including having all three of my girls open their annual Christmas pajamas together - typically done on Christmas Eve night.

The two older girls got to open their stockings as well...which left Ella a little bewildered as to how their stockings were already filled and hers wasn't...*hand slap to the forehead*

We all attended church on Christmas Eve morning and then enjoyed a nice lunch together at Carrabba's before Clara and Ema made the drive back home.

Although the visit was short, I'm so thankful to have been able to see them before Christmas.

Of course all of this change of Christmas traditions tugged at my heartstrings and I found myself in tears a couple of times. 

We even missed having our annual Christmas brunch with my mom and stepdad too. They decided to head to Ohio to make a surprise visit to his dad. That means I still have their gifts to give them.

Again...I will just need to get creative and come up with new traditions for our new life and more Christmases to come. I look forward to that.

CRAFT | DIY Hand Glittered Clothespins Gift Package - Michael's Recollections Glitter

Hand Glittered Wooden Clothespins? Oh yes!

The glittered clothespins may not be an "original" idea but I bet you've not ever seen this adorable DIY Packaging for gifting a set to someone you know?! *wink*

I LOVE how this turned out and I'm going to show you how to make this…but first…

let's talk GLITTER!!

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, Ella and I have been crafting together.
One of our most recent projects involved glitter…really pretty glitter in fact…and lots of it.
We were so excited when Michael's sent us a box filled with a variety of Recollections Glitter we moved everything off of the dining table and started crafting immediately. It was really hard choosing between the fine, tinsel and chunky glitter varieties, not to mention the different colors available. So instead of picking one or two, Ella and I used them ALL! *wink*

The jars start at $3.99 and can be purchased as a set or individually. I found myself reaching for the Raspberry, Peacock and Citron fine glitters repeatedly and I actually have a favorite now! 
It's this one right here called "Bling"! Ella calls it the "rainbow" glitter and it actually reminds me of a disco ball! It's really pretty and sparkly and sort of has a touch of each color! LOVE!! *wink*

I decided to get out some wooden circles from my craft stash and we started gluing and glittering. I wasn't sure what we were going to do with them when we were finished (magnets, banner, tic tac toe game pieces, etc.) but we couldn't contain our excitement for adding sparkle to things so we just went with it and knew we would figure something out along the way.

We got out some wooden stars and glittered those up too. We then added some of the Christmas Tree and Snowflake Glitter to some of the circles and then decided to turn them all into tree ornaments for Ella's little Christmas tree in her room. We just glued on a loop of Baker's Twine, let them dry and then Ella was happy to add some sparkly ornaments to her already sparkly tree. I think these would be cute tied onto gift packaging too!!

My favorite ornament ended up being one Ella created - by accident - when she partially painted glue onto a wooden star and then dunked it into the Raspberry glitter. She immediately recognized it as a buffalo - so that's what we are calling it! Our Buffalo Christmas Star Ornament! This is one of those "I'm keeping it forever" ornaments.

See the buffalo's head bent down on the left? It's a silhouette of the side of a buffalo - see it?

If you don't see it, don't tell Ella! I absolutely see it and love that she's the one that told ME what it was!

Over the course of a few days, Ella and I went on to experiment with adding glitter to other wooden objects I had around the house, like these rock candy sticks from The TomKat Studio. All I did was add glue to the ball on the end of the stick and then I dipped the ball into the jar of green tinsel glitter. I then did another one dipped in red tinsel glitter. I twirled it around in the jar to make sure it was coated nicely and then pulled it out! Super easy and no clean up! *wink* You could use these for those adorable Hot Chocolate Sticks Kim posted!

And that's how we eventually arrived here...

Mini Glittered Clothespins

I experimented with several different ways of applying the glue: painting it on with a paintbrush, dipping the clothespin into a puddle of glue poured on a plate, spreading a thin layer of glue on a plate and then dipping. I found the easiest way to make these was to designate my pointer finger as the "glue" finger and I just rubbed a small amount of glue onto each clothespin (avoiding the crevice) and then dipped the clothespin into whatever glitter I wanted. Really easy. I also kept a toothpick on hand to remove any extra glitter or glue that tried to attach itself to the crevice found on top of the clothespin. (where the metal spring is exposed).

I plan on using these pretty clothespins to string up the various works of art Ella creates. I'll also be using them to hang up a New Year's Eve banner in our home too and they will be so cute to mark magazine or book pages. When I was finished making them I wanted to gift them and share them with everyone.  So that's when I decided to come up with a creative way to package them up!

Recollections Glitters shown above include:

(left to right: Peacock, Raspberry, Ocean, Citron and Bling)

So let's get to the how-to, shall we?

I've created a free printable so you can easily make your own packaging to gift your own hand glittered mini clothespins. These would be a great gift for the kids to make too. (just saying)

Download the FREE Printable I designed for the DIY Glitter Clothespins Packaging

Print onto 8.5" x 11" white card stock and cut out the two separate packaging pieces.

(Fold-over printed packaging and Clothespin Attachment Card)

Punch out a circle window from the packaging just under the printed text using a 2.25" round craft punch

Fold back opposite edge using crop marks as guides

Insert Clothespin Attachment Card into the lip you created and staple the two pieces together. 

(The concept resembles a book of matches).

Fold over the packaging cover and tuck inside the lip you created with the staple. 

Flatten packaging using a bone folder or other item to create a nice crease.

Add the clothespins. 

Open package cover and start adding the clothespins. It's easiest to start with one clothespin in the middle (should line up with staple) and then add the others to each side of the middle clothespin.

Keep them grouped close together so they fit nicely inside the circle when the cover of the packaging is closed. 

I designed the package to fit five small clothespins. 

I used "Small Wooden Clothespins" packaged as a set of 20 found in the Office Supply section (not in the craft section) of WalMart. 

If you want to get all fancy and protect the glitter on your clothespins you can add a piece of clear cello film to the inside of the packaging to create a see-thru window. I just cut a square from a clear cello envelope I already had and used a glue stick to secure it. Easy.

Here's the finished packaging WITH the clear cello added to the circle window.

And here's the finished packaging WITHOUT the clear cello added to the circle window.

Either finish looks great!  Personalize your little gift sets by including colors you think the person will love. OR just pick your favorite shade of glitter and create an entire set using it.

 You know I'll be doing that with the "Bling" fine glitter! *wink* 

I hope you love this idea and will use the FREE download to create your own packaging.

I'm absolutely loving the Michael's Recollections Glitter and will be continuing to use it for a variety of craft projects!

KEEPiNG iT REAL

It took me forever to get the packaging JUST right on this. I wanted to make sure you didn't have any issues printing or assembling it exactly the way you see it here so I tweaked it and tweaked it until it was just right. I may have been OCD about it too. But I'm not confirming that! *wink*

PEN N' PAPERFLOWERS (PNPF) RECEIVED FREE PRODUCT, COMPENSATION OR OTHER PERKS FROM MICHAEL'S FOR REVIEWING AND SHARING THIS PRODUCT. BE ASSURED PNPF ONLY POSTS/REVIEWS PRODUCTS I LOVE AND FEEL YOU WILL LOVE TOO!